Destined for Greatness
by Deep Metal
Summary: After years of fighting gods, monsters, and the vilest of warlords and criminals, Hercules goes up against one of his most formidable foes yet, Alexander the Great. But will the Son of Zeus have what it takes to stop Alexander and his army from overrunning the world?
1. Chapter 1

**Destined for Greatness**

A/N: Recently I'd just gotten back into Hercules: The Legendary Journeys and it had been an awesome experience reliving my childhood. It was the kind of series that really wove a strong vibrant tapestry of rich characters, humor, and adventure. After giving it some thought, I figured I'd try my hand at writing some Hercules fanfiction. My story is set after The Legendary Journeys finished and sometime after the Xena episode "God Fearing Child."

After some thought, I figured why not pit Hercules against the most renowned historical Greek figure in history, Alexander the Great? Naturally, of course, my heavily fictionalized series is going to take several historical liberties so it goes without saying that nothing in this story will be one hundred percent historically accurate. This will be a fan-written continuation of The Legendary Journeys.

Disclaimer: Hercules The Legendary Journeys does not belong to me. This is a for-fun, non-profit fanfiction series only.

Chapter 1

In all their years of being heroes, Hercules and Iolaus had faced it all. They had stared down and defeated gods, monsters, warlords, and even death itself.

Their friendship had been tested through the fires and it had come out stronger than ever. After the death of Iolaus and his subsequent possession in the battle against Dahak, Hercules had nearly lost his will to live.

It had been one of the most trying times of his life but eventually, with the help of his allies, he eventually came through.

"Hey Herc," Iolaus bit into an apple. "You okay?"

"I'm alright Iolaus," replied Hercules. "It's just…"

The two of them walked down the busy street of Athens. As they continued their chat, they noticed a crowd of people forming.

"It's hard to believe after all these years he's finally gone," Hercules admitted.

"Like it or not, you had to do it," Iolaus told his friend. "I mean, Zeus was going to murder an innocent baby and her mother."

"I know, it's just that it didn't have to end like that," Hercules sighed.

Several months ago he had been forced to do the unthinkable. Because Zeus had decreed the death of Xena and her baby, Hercules had to step in to defend them. In the process, he ended up slaying Zeus to protect the life of the newborn.

"All my life I wanted my father to be there for me," said Hercules. "I just never thought I would stain my hands with his blood."

"But you didn't have a choice," Iolaus tried to reason.

"I had a choice," Hercules' voice brimmed with self-loathing and frustration. "And I made the choice to commit patricide."

"C'mon, buddy," Iolaus tried to cheer the demi-god up. "It's been months since you were forced to kill Zeus. It's time to let go of the past and move on."

"Yeah, I guess you're right," admitted Hercules reluctantly.

"Hey, know what'll really brighten our day?" smiled Iolaus. "There's going to be a dance this afternoon with plenty of food, wine, and women!"

"I… take it you've had this on your mind for the past few hours?" Hercules raised an eyebrow.

"More like past few days," Iolaus replied.

"Hey, wait a minute," Hercules stared at the large crowd gathered there. "Something's going on."

"Citizens of Athens!" a man on the podium declared. "Are we not a free society? Are we not the torch of democracy?!"

"Who is that?" Iolaus wondered aloud.

"I recognize him," Hercules replied. "That's Demosthenes. He's one of Athens' most famous public speakers."

"What's the emergency then?" Iolaus was puzzled.

"Macedon," Hercules said plainly.

"Philip II and his lout of a son Alexander have poisoned the hearts and minds Greece!" declared Demosthenes. "Much of Greece is already under their control and still they seek more!"

"Oh man, I almost forgot how much of Greece is under Macedonian control!" Iolaus slapped his forehead. "How did we ever let that happen?"

Hercules frowned. In the past few months the Macedonians had taken over almost all of Greece. Part of the reason he had been unable to do too much about it was due to the fact that he had his own hands quite full, ending the threat of Dahak, stopping Four Horsemen from carrying out Armageddon, slaying his own father and having to deal with the subsequent aftermath…

Because he had been so focused on fighting gods and monsters, Hercules had been unable to make time to deal with the Macedonian invaders. True he had stopped a few unruly of Philip's soldiers from harassing innocent people here and there, but he had not actually confronted Philip, the head of the Macedonian war machine itself.

"We are citizens of Athens!" declared Demosthenes. "We deserve to be free, not under the foot of some petty tyrant!"

Before Demosthenes could continue, a small squadron of Macedon soldiers arrived on the scene.

"Disperse now or face the judgment of Philip!" declared General Pausanias.

Without hesitation, the crowd backed away and left.

"It would appear you don't have much of a leg to stand on anymore," Pausanias looked at Demosthenes. "Nobody is interested in what you have to say."

"I will never bow to a tyrant like Philip!" Demosthenes refused to back down. "And I refuse to back down before a thug like you!"

"That's it!" Pausanias clenched his fist.

Demosthenes drew back, expecting to get beaten to an inch of his life. However, when he opened his eyes, he had suffered no such injuries.

Pausanias had thrown a punch, only for Hercules to have caught it in mid-air.

"Let's not resort to violence, shall we?" asked Hercules.

"This man was inciting public unrest!" Pausanias glared at Hercules.

"I'd say he was exercising his right to express himself," Hercules threw Pausanias' fist down.

"Hercules, you should know better than to get involved!" Pausanias looked at the demi-god sullenly. "Philip and Alexander are both great admirers of your work!"

"Pity we can't say the same for theirs," added Iolaus.

"Watch your tongue!" Pausanias pointed a finger at Iolaus. "Or I will cut it off for you!"

Immediately Hercules grabbed Pausanias by the hand and applied enough of a grip on it to make the Macedonian general regret his words.

"Nobody's tongue is coming off," Hercules reminded him. "Do you understand?"

"Yes…" whimpered Pausanias as Hercules let go of him.

"Now," Hercules looked at the general squarely in the eye. "What do you say to a deal?"

"What sort of a deal?" asked Pausanias.

"I'll agree to an audience with the King of Macedon in exchange for this man to be set free," Hercules gestured to Demosthenes. "After all, you did say he was a big fan of my work, wasn't he?"

"That is true," Pausanias nodded. "Very well then! But tell this old man that if he's seen rabble-rousing on the streets again, he'll lose his head!"

After the Macedonian soldiers gave Hercules the proper directions and left, the demi-god and his travelling companion turned back to Demosthenes.

"You may want to keep a low profile from now on," Hercules told the orator.

"Yeah, especially since he mentioned the head-chopping thing," added Iolaus. "Believe me, I know how scary it is to be threatened with losing your head."

"You agreed to an audience with that tyrant?" Demosthenes looked bewildered. "Why?"

"Let's just say Philip and I are finally going to have a chat about what's been going on in Greece lately," Hercules confirmed.

OOOOO

That night Hercules and Iolaus made their way to the governor's mansion in Athens. Due to the fact that Philip had made himself overlord of all of Greece, the governor had been compelled to use his mansion to host the Macedonian king for the night.

"What're you gonna say?" Iolaus asked.

"Haven't really thought about it," Hercules replied. "In all this time I've never really met Philip or his son Alexander. I'm going to see for myself what they're really like."

"What if they turn out to be like every other tin pot warlord we've faced in the past?" inquired Iolaus.

"From what I've heard, Philip is more than a petty conqueror," Hercules answered. "But we'll see for ourselves soon enough."

As they neared the gates of the mansion, the two heroes noticed a booth stuffed with Macedonian merchandise, some of them souvenirs dedicated to Philip II himself.

"Salmoneus?!" Hercules and Iolaus were bewildered.

"Hey Herc!" Salmoneus waved. "What's going on?"

"I'm just… surprised to see you here, that's all," replied Hercules.

"What's with the Philip merchandise you're selling?" demanded Iolaus.

"Look I know what you guys are thinking," Salmoneus explained. "But let me tell you something, not everybody in Greece is upset that Philip is running things!"

"We're listening," Hercules glanced at Iolaus.

"You see, because of the Macedonians taking over Greece," clarified Salmoneus, "the known world has become a much better place. Crime is down, the streets are safer to walk at night, and travelling merchants like me have a much easier time going from town to town without brigands harassing us!"

'That is true," Hercules noted. "Lately I've noticed everything's been more nice and quiet. The Macedonians do make quite the neighborhood watch."

"Business is booming!" Salmoneus exclaimed. "Things have never been better until Philip and his son made Greece a better place!"

"Yeah, business is booming," Iolaus glared at the chubby merchant, "at the expense of peoples' rights and civil liberties!"

"Hey now!" protested Salmoneus. "Philip and Alexander are pretty decent people! You just gotta give them a chance! Be a sport, Iolaus!"

"Give a chance to a couple of tyrants?" Iolaus looked at Salmoneus in disbelief. "Salmoneus, I never thought you'd sink to such lows!"

"Whoa, hold it you two," Hercules attempted to mediate. "We're not here to jump to conclusions. We're just here to see what kind of people Philip and his son are."

"Alright, but just remember," Iolaus glared at Salmoneus. "Do you really think it's going to be worth it in the end?"

"C'mon Iolaus," Hercules walked ahead. "We've got a dinner date to catch."

"Say Herc, think I could interest you in an Alexander tattoo?" offered Salmoneus.

"Um, I'll think about it," replied Hercules non-committedly.

OOOOO

Soon Hercules and Iolaus had entered into the mansion. All around them were Macedonian guards.

At the center of the room was the dining table. At the end sat a man in regal battle armor. He had long blonde hair in addition to a beard across his chin. To his right sat a younger man with more youthful features, decked in similar battle armor in addition to curly blonde hair.

"The great Hercules has decided to grace us with his presence," Philip beckoned. "Come, sit with us."

"Ladies first," Hercules told Iolaus.

Iolaus went ahead but suddenly stopped, realizing the prank Hercules was pulling on him.

"Hey, wait a minute!" Iolaus protested.

"Gotcha," smiled Herc.

"What do I look like?" Iolaus complained. "The Widow Twanky?"

"Well, I did notice you two having a similar chin…" Hercules rubbed his chin.

After their playful banter was complete, Hercules and Iolaus sat down at the dinner table with Philip and his son.

"So Hercules," Philip started, "I must say that it is an honor to meet a hero as renowned as yourself. Tell me, how are you legendary journeys going along?"

"Well, a lot of things have happened," Hercules replied. "It just seems that I'm dealing with one god or monster after another."

"Which would undoubtedly leave you little room to deal with the affairs of man," Philip nodded graciously. "I understand you've had your hands full dealing with the dark god Dahak and multiple other supernatural incursions upon our land."

"That's correct," Hercules answered.

"Leading a life of heroic sacrifice against petty gods and demons must be a burdensome duty," Philip told the demi-god. "But I assure you that in the event you are unable to attend to more grassroot affairs, Alexander and I have helped to ensure that no criminal or vagabond will harm the good people of Greece."

"So I've heard," Iolaus rolled his eyes.

"Actually it's what I wanted to talk to you about," Hercules said. "Yes you may have brought peace and security, but the rights of the people are being curtailed in the name of security."

"Hmm, did Demosthenes set you upon me like this?" inquired Philip. "That old fool has always had it out for me."

"This isn't about Demosthenes," Hercules insisted. "This is about the excesses of your reign. People have been arrested and thrown into the dungeon for breaking curfews. Every town I've went to there are complaints of Macedonian soldiers stealing from farmers, violating women, and getting into drunken fights."

"I assure you that my army is up to the most professional of standards," Philip replied. "I have personally seen to it that those few bad apples who commit heinous crimes like these are punished for their misdeeds."

"He's right, Hercules," Alexander finally spoke up. "My father has made Greece Elysium on Earth. A few freedoms are a small price to pay for this gift."

"It speaks," Iolaus whispered to Hercules who quickly elbowed him to silence him.

"Hercules, ever since my youth I've looked up to you," confessed Alexander. "All you've ever wanted to do was to help people. Can you not see that this is exactly what my father is trying to do?"

"Alexander, your father's intentions are in the right place," Hercules told the young man. "But the way he's doing it isn't perfect."

"Could we not also say the same about your father?" Philip asked. "After all, Zeus' intentions were always noble despite his less-than-perfect actions."

"Don't go there," Iolaus muttered, realizing that the topic of Zeus was a sensitive topic for Hercules.

"Philip, let's not go there," Hercules looked at the Macedonian king square in the eyes.

"Of course, where are my manners," Philip recanted. "My apologies."

"In time you will see that my father is what's right for Greece," Alexander told Hercules and Iolaus. "And maybe in time, for the rest of the known world…"

"Well, for one thing I don't doubt your sincerity," Hercules told Philip. "But from now on, just remember that should your soldiers get out of line, I'll be there."

"Point taken," Philip waved casually. "And by all means, please discipline my unruly soldiers. It's not like I condone their lesser behaviors personally."

"That's good to know," Hercules nodded. "In any case, Iolaus and I have got to be going. We got a long day tomorrow."

"But you've barely touched your meals," Philip pointed out.

"It's okay," Iolaus smiled. "There's a gyro place that stays up to midnight a few blocks from here."

"Such a pity," Philip sighed. "It's a shame you can't st—"

Without warning, Pausanias leaped to action and slit the throat of Philip.

"Father!" screamed Alexander.

"Philip!" Hercules got up.

Philip II of Macedon fell to the floor, thrashing in agony as blood stained the marble floors.

"Not in a million years did I think I would have this opportunity!" Pausanias smiled. "But now I have the chance to be rid of Philip, Alexander, and Hercules all in one fell swoop!"

"You'll pay for this!" shouted Alexander.

"Not likely!" Pausanias shouted, summoning his most loyal soldiers. "You see, the contingent of soldiers you brought to Athens are loyal only to me."

Soon, Hercules, Iolaus, and Alexander found themselves surrounded.

"Odds aren't looking good," Iolaus said to Hercules as they stood back to back.

"Good thing we never play the odds," Hercules responded, getting into a fighting stance.

"Kill them all!" ordered Pausanias.


	2. Chapter 2

**Destined for Greatness**

_Chapter 2_

At once, Hercules and Iolaus sprung into action, fighting off the soldiers sent after them by Pausanias.

Hercules knocked one soldier out with a spin kick while punching the other down, as Iolaus quickly darted out of the way as another soldier slashed at him with his sword.

While the two were occupied with the soldiers, Pausanias closed in on Alexander, unsheathing his sword.

"Oh, you don't know how long I've been waiting to do this!" Pausanias growled.

Alexander took out his sword and blocked the oncoming blow.

"With you and your father out of the way, all of Greece will be mine!" added Pausanias.

"Alexander!" shouted Hercules as he slammed two soldiers into one another. "Hang in there!"

"You are nothing more than a murderer!" Alexander kicked Pausanias back, "and my father's murder will be avenged!"

The two crossed swords and slashed at each other a few times before Pausanias drew back. He thrust forward but Alexander spun out of the way and allowed the Macedonian general to run stomach-first into the table.

As Pausanias turned around, he found Alexander's sword at his throat.

"Go ahead and beg for mercy," Alexander said with tears in his eyes. "You will receive none."

Saying nothing, Pausanias dropped his sword to the ground.

Finally, Hercules and Iolaus had mopped up the last of Pausanias' soldiers. It was then that they turned their attention to Alexander.

"Is this what you want, Alexander?" asked Hercules, "to kill a man in cold blood like this?"

"He'll pay for killing my father," Alexander croaked. "What would you know about watching your own father die?"

For a brief moment, Hercules had to hold back his own turmoil and emotions at hearing that.

"I know everything about it," Hercules finally admitted.

"Hercules, I'm sorry, I…" Alexander said with remorse.

Taking advantage of the momentary distraction, Pausanias pushed Alexander aside and ran towards the door.

Without hesitation, Alexander grabbed one of the soldiers' javelins and threw it.

The javelin flew through the air and impaled Pausanias right through the chest. The older man fell down to both knees, gurgling with blood in his mouth. Finally, he fell to the floor dead.

"It's over," Iolaus looked at Hercules.

Hercules went over to the grief-stricken Alexander who knelt beside the body of his father and put a hand on his shoulder.

"I'm sorry," Hercules told Alexander. "If I had never come, this wouldn't have happened."

"Don't blame yourself, Hercules," Alexander said sadly. "Pausanias would have tried to kill me and my father in time."

"You're king now, Alexander," Hercules looked into the younger man's eyes.

"Yes, and with my father gone, I must rule in his stead."

"I know this will be difficult for you," Hercules told Alexander. "But it's never an easy thing to watch your father die before your own eyes. But over time, even though the pain will never truly go away, it will fade."

Alexander did not say anything. Instead, he cradled his father's head in his arms as tears poured down his youthful face.

"If you need anything," Hercules informed him, "I'll be there for you."

"Yes, thank you Hercules," Alexander nodded.

oooo

"Poor kid," Iolaus muttered as he and Hercules left the palace.

"Yeah," Hercules agreed.

"So what do we do now?" asked Iolaus. "I thought part of the reason we went over to visit Philip and Alexander was to free Greece."

"Instead what we got was another person having to watch his father die," Hercules muttered almost bitterly.

Iolaus could tell that his old friend was upset as not being able to prevent Philip's death.

"C'mon Herc, don't blame yourself," Iolaus insisted. "Pausanias took us all by surprise."

"If I had just been a little bit faster, Alexander's father would still be there for him," Hercules replied.

"Yeah, but who knows if you would've had to overthrow him sooner or later. Philip could also be a really ruthless and cruel guy."

"That may be true," agreed Hercules. "But Alexander is now the king. He at least deserves our benefit of the doubt, if at least for a little while."

"We'll see," Iolaus reluctantly concurred. "I just hope he manages to become a better ruler than his father."

oooo

From the shadows, Ares watched as Alexander lay there on his bed. For three days the young man had been sullen and withdrawn. And it was most unbecoming of a future king and conqueror.

He had seen potential in Alexander and Ares wanted nothing more than to capitalize on that potential.

It was at that moment that Ares decided to make his entrance, appearing before the Macedonian in a flash of light.

"Ares?!" Alexander almost entered into a state of shock.

"The one and only," Ares smiled.

"I can't believe I'm seeing you for the first time," Alexander bowed before the god of war.

"Think nothing of it, my boy," Ares beckoned him to rise. "I just thought I'd pay a visit to my future star pupil?"

"Star pupil? But I don't understand."

"You're destined for great things, Alexancer," Ares revealed. "You're destined to be a conqueror of the highest caliber."

"A conqueror?" Alexander was incredulous. "But my father is dead and I don't know if I even have what it takes to keep his newly built empire together."

"I am sorry for the loss of your father," Ares replied. "Philip II was a great man."

Alexander only nodded in agreement, feeling sadness overtake him again.

"But you are going to become even greater," Ares finished.

"What?" Alexander was shocked. "How?"

"For starters, you have me on your side," Ares said graciously.

"Lord Ares, I appreciate your offer, but my father's body has barely turned cold. How am I supposed to become even half the man that he was?"

"I heard a prophecy once," Ares unveiled, "that the son of a Macedonian king would become ruler of Greece and the entire world. The clock is ticking, Alex. Do you want to honor your late father's memory by carrying on his work or are you simply content to half-heartedly rule Greece and let mediocrity be your shining example?"

"I…"

"Limited time offer, son," Ares told him. "You have the chance to become the greatest king in all of history. However, do you even want it?"

"I do," Alexander finally admitted after some thought.

"Then rally your troops tomorrow morning," Ares grinned. "We've got a lot of work to do."

oooo

Deep in an undersea Aegean cavern, a tentacled monster sat in his throne room amusing himself as he watched his pet sharks duel each other to the death.

Cygnus was a Kraken, a multi-limbed monster of the deep. His upper body was that of a muscular green humanoid's while his head resembled that of a squid. On his back sprouted four tentacles which were often used for combat and hunting purposes.

Finally, the older great white shark won the battle, tearing apart his younger rival with repeated bites.

It was then that Ares, the god of war, appeared before him.

"Ares, to what do I owe the honor?"

"I need a favor from you, Cygnus."

"And what might that be?"

"In a short while, my boy Alexander is going to set the world on fire and I'm counting on my little brother Hercules to try and stop him."

"Sounds interesting, but what does it have to do with me?"

"Simple," Ares answered. "I want you to stop Hercules."

"Fight Hercules himself?" Cygnus looked eager.

"That's what I had in mind," responded Ares. "After all, your brother was slain by Perseus. What better way to avenge your family's honor than by taking one of Zeus' sons in return?"

"True, but if that were the case, wouldn't it be easier to settle the score on you here and now?" asked Cygnus, who got up and made an abortive move towards Ares. "After all, you are also a progeny of the thunder god."

"True," Ares raised a hand and summoned a fireball. "But I have the full powers of a god and I can turn you into sushi here and now. Hercules, on the other hand, is not the full package."

After seeing the display that Ares put up, Cygnus decided that it would be more prudent to take the god of war up on his offer.

"Very well, what do you wish for me to do?" he asked.

oooo

"Hey Herc, what're you thinking about doing today?" asked Iolaus as the two friends walked down the streets of Athens.

"Well, we haven't really heard much of a peep out of these Macedonian soldiers in the past few days," noted Hercules. "I thought maybe we'd move on to another town."

"Which place do you have in mind?"

"I hear Thebes is nice this time of year."

"Hey, notice how there are less soldiers around town today?" pointed out Iolaus.

"I hadn't noticed," Hercules looked around.

"I don't know, maybe they're up to something," Iolaus continued. "Maybe Alexander has had enough of ruling just Greece. Maybe he's suddenly become motivated to take on the world?"

"Iolaus, his father died only a few days ago," Hercules pointed out. "If anything, now would be a time of mourning for him. Having an overseas adventure would probably be the last thing on his mind."

"You willing to bet on that?" Iolaus pointed towards the distance.

Hercules' eyes widened as he saw the entire Athenian navy moving out of the seaports. With the amount of ships sailing into the horizon, there could be no doubt that an entire army was being ferried.

"Iolaus, next time remind me to give you thirty dinars whenever you prove me wrong," Hercules said blankly.

"Whoa, you really mean it?" Iolaus was surprised.

"Uh, no," Hercules snapped back to reality. "Let's go."

oooo

As the two heroes rushed down to the Athenian port, they noticed that Alexander's ships were already in the distance.

"We're too late!" Iolaus cried.

"Not quite," Hercules looked over at the dock.

At the harbor remained one final ship. It was a fishing boat, large enough to fit at least four or five people on board. It wasn't the fastest but it was the only thing they could find on short notice.

As the two ran towards the ship, a ball of flames soared out of nowhere and struck the ship, engulfing it in flames.

"No!" shouted Hercules.

An insidious laughter soon alerted the two to the presence of a very unwanted god.

"Whoops, did I do that?" Ares smirked, standing on top of a nearby roof.

"Ares, what do you want?" demanded Hercules.

"I'm here to make sure you don't get in the way of my new protégé," Ares informed them. "After all, Alexander is going to be a very big mover and shaker in this world."

"What did you do to him?" asked Hercules.

"I didn't do anything," replied Ares. "All I did was give my boy Alexander a nudge in the right direction."

"Your boy?" asked Iolaus incredulously. "You mean you're Alexander's father?"

"No you dolt!" Ares shouted at the mortal. "It's contemporary lingo! Get with the times!"

"Is he making sense to you?" Iolaus asked Hercules.

"He never does," Herc answered, shaking his head.

"Look, just stay out of Alexander's way!" Ares threw both hands in the air.

Iolaus and Hercules looked at each other and smiled.

"And what makes you think we'll do that?" Hercules inquired.

"Because I'm the god of war!" declared Ares. "And Alexander has shown a potential for conquest that's been unrivalled! I don't want anything getting in his way."

"And who's going to stop us?" Iolaus smirked. "You? Hate to break it to you, Ares, but you don't exactly have the best record when it comes to winning."

At hearing that, Ares soured. It was true that he hadn't had much success against Hercules in the past few years, but that would all soon change when his personal world conqueror would feed him enough death and destruction to empower him wholly.

"If you want a fight, then now's the best time to come down from there and face me," Hercules challenged.

"Not today little brother," Ares answered. "However, I do have someone else who would like to meet you."

As Ares disappeared in a flash, Iolaus suddenly felt a moist wet tentacle wrap itself around his neck, lifting him up.

"Iolaus!" cried Hercules.

Immediately, Iolaus was thrown against the side of a building by that tentacle. Soon Hercules found himself staring into the eyes of a humanoid squid monster with murderous intent in his eyes.

"You won't get away with that," Hercules warned.

"Spare me your threats, Son of Zeus!" Cygnus threatened. "My motive is simple. Kill you and avenge my brother!"

"You're a Kraken, aren't you?" demanded Hercules. "Your brother was the one killed by Perseus!"

"Yes, and I will avenge myself and my family by slaying the progeny of Zeus!"

"I hate to break it to you," Hercules told the monster, "but Ares is also one of Zeus' kids. Why aren't you _avenging_ yourself upon him?"

Cygnus made a grunting sound that vaguely resembled frustration. He was indeed reluctant to go up against the magical powers of Ares. Hercules, however, possessed no such abilities. Without another word, he attacked.

Two of the four tentacles on his back shot out and grabbed Hercules by both his arms. Cygnus yanked back and hurled the son of Zeus into a stand, knocking it over.

"My food!" the vender yelled.

"Falafel?" Hercules got up groggily, noticing the person for the first time.

"That was my livelihood!" Falafel protested.

"Sorry Falafel," Hercules said shortly. "Now's not the best time."

Immediately one of the Kraken's tentacles came down, smashing the rest of Falafel's concession stand as Hercules pushed the vendor out of the way.

Another two tentacles shot out at Hercules who ducked under them and rolled forward, closing the gap between himself and Cygnus. As soon as he got up, he drove his fist into the Kraken's face, dazing him with a punch.

Not to be done in so easily, Cygnus fought back, backhanding Hercules across the jaw. In return, Hercules clobbered him across the face two more times, knocking the squid monster against a house.

Angrily, Cygnus clamped both his hands onto the wall, tearing it off with ease, exposing the frightened family inside. He then charged forward and smashed it down at Hercules who quickly leaped out of the way.

At once, one of the Kraken's tentacles whipped out, catching Hercules across the side of the face and knocking him down. With that, two other tentacles wrapped themselves around the arms of Hercules, lifting the demi-god into the air.

Again and again, Cygnus hurled Hercules into the ground. Then he lifted him yet again and smashed him into an abandoned building, quickly reducing it to rubble.

One final time, Cygnus hurled Hercules into the air and smashed him into the ground with one of his elongated tentacles. He then walked towards the near-prone demi-god.

Grabbing Hercules by the collar, Cygnus raised the demi-god up and struck him across the face with an open hand.

"Now you die!" promised Cygnus.

With that, he revealed several claws that extended from his finger tips and thrust towards the heart of Hercules.

Almost miraculously, however, Hercules leaped back into life and caught the squid monster's wrist just in time.

"I _really_ don't have time for this!" growled Hercules.

With that, he squeezed down on the Kraken's hand, crushing it completely with his god-like strength.

"Aaaah!" screamed Cygnus, dropping Hercules.

Hercules jabbed a few punches into the monster's abdomen and then finished it off by striking Cygnus in the face with a direct palm strike. Then he spun around and kicked the squid creature into several gallons of wine barrels.

Cygnus got up again, almost frothing at what could be considered his mouth.

"It can't end this way!" the monster growled, thrusting two of his tentacles forward.

This time, though, Hercules was ready. He allowed both tentacles to wrap around his wrists and then grabbed on tight.

"Time for you to go on a long vacation," Hercules promised.

Holding on tightly, Hercules whirled Cygnus around and around until the monster became dizzy. Finally, when Herc felt he had enough momentum, he let go, hurling the monster several miles across the air until Cygnus was thrown into the side of a mountain a few miles away.

Cygnus slowly got up, staggered forward a bit. Then he fell down again unconscious.

"That should take care of him for a while," Hercules sighed in relief.

He went over to Iolaus to help his friend up.

"You okay?" asked Herc.

"I'm alright," Iolaus replied. "Say, do you smell something a little fishy?"

"Of course, why shouldn't I?" Hercules answered. "After all, I did just get done fighting a squid monster."

"You know Herc, I recommend a good bubble bath before we set out to find Alexander," Iolaus told his friend squarely.

"Of course, because you know all about bathing," Hercules added with a dash of sarcasm.

"Hey, how do you think I get so many ladies to pursue me?"

"Let me guess, your charming personality?"

"My stand, it's ruined!" Falafel walked up towards the two.

"Oh boy," Iolaus groaned.

"Yeah, sorry about that, Falafel," Hercules apologized sheepishly to the man.

"I'm ruined, I tell you, ruined!" Falafel cried.

"Look, we're a little busy right now but as soon as we're back from pursuing Alexander, I'll try to help you out in some way," promised Hercules.

At once the food vendor's face brightened.

"That's it!" Falafel smiled. "I'll join you two!"

"Say what?" Iolaus looked like he was about to gag.

"I'll journey with Hercules to foreign lands!" the man beamed. "Along the way there will be new adventures! New food! New cuisines!"

"Tell me you're not going to let him join us," Iolaus took Hercules aside.

"Well, what do you suggest?" asked Hercules.

"Look, I know you have difficulty turning people down, especially women," Iolaus added, "but do we really need Falafel slowing us down?"

"I can't reject him," Hercules glanced over at the pleading face of Falafel. "He just lost his livelihood."

"C'mon, let's just ditch the guy!" Iolaus insisted just a little too loudly.

As soon as he heard that, Falafel's expression turned to absolute shock.

"You… you don't want me to come?" a single tear appeared on Falafel's eye.

"No, no, we didn't say that," Hercules tried to exercise damage control.

"So I can come!" Falafel was overjoyed once more.

"Okay Falafel," Hercules tried to compromise. "Look, just follow us from behind and try to maintain a low profile. Alright?"

"Yes, I promise!" Falafel raised his hand.

Iolaus sighed.

"Just another bright spot to my day," he groaned.


	3. Chapter 3

Destined for Greatness

Chapter 3

"So how much further until we make it to Jason's place?" asked Iolaus.

At present, the two friends were continuing their journey. It had been quite some time since they left Athens due to the interference of Ares.

"Two more days and we'll have to travel through Arcadia in order to get there," confirmed Hercules. "He should have a ship which can bring us to Asia Minor."

"Arcadia?" Iolaus paused. "Isn't that the place where King Lycaon ruled?"

"It was," Hercules answered, "until he displeased Zeus."

"Wow, what did he do?" Iolaus asked.

Hercules grimaced. It was not a pleasant topic to think about.

"He fed human flesh to Zeus at a dinner," answered Hercules.

Iolaus looked like he was about to hurl.

"So what did Zeus do to Lycaon as punishment?"

"I wasn't too clear on the details but I think we're about to find out."

"Hercules!" a voice behind the two called out. "Wait up!"

"I almost forgot we brought him along," Iolaus glanced back.

Falafel finally caught up to the two. His ability to walk long distances was nowhere near as good as that of the two heroes.

"I'm so glad I caught up with you!" Falafel exclaimed. "Do you think we could stop for a rest?"

Hercules looked around the area. Already they were within the countryside of Arcadia. And they had been walking for hours upon hours.

"Well, I don't see why not," Hercules agreed as he and Iolaus sat down.

"Speaking of which, I brought some food!" Falafel said, taking out a basket full of food.

"No thanks, we brought our own," Iolaus waved away one of Falafel's dishes.

"What did you bring?" asked Hercules.

"Rabbit," Iolaus took out his food wrap.

"You had rabbit last night," Herc pointed out.

"And the night before that," Iolaus added.

"Does no one want to try my dishes?" demanded Falafel.

"I'm sure you're a fine chef," Hercules told the cook. "It's just that right now I'm in the mood for something more… game-y."

"Want some rabbit?" offered Iolaus.

"Nah, I think I'll go for something else," Hercules grabbed his bow and arrows.

With that being said, Hercules headed in the direction of the woods. With any luck, he would find food that wasn't prepared by Falafel.

oooo

As Hercules came near the edge of the woods, he noted with interest a sheep herder out in the pasture with his flock. The man was certainly living a peaceful existence, away from the worries of the city and away from the prying and vengeful eyes of the gods.

Deep down, Hercules felt a bit envious. He had wanted peace of this kind for a long time but given his gifts and the life he lived, conflict always found a way of knocking on his door.

"You don't know how good you have it," Hercules said softly.

Soon, however, the peaceful tranquility of the atmosphere ended as a bloodcurdling howl was unleashed. From the forest, a large wolf-like creature leaped out, pouncing on one of the shepherd's sheep and killing it with an enormous bite from its jaws.

"No!" the shepherd ran forth with his staff, attempting to fight off the creature.

With quick reflexes, the wolf-like creature knocked away the shepherd's staff and advanced on the shepherd himself.

Then as the monster came close enough to the man, he stood up on both hind legs, standing head and shoulders above the shepherd. He raised his hand in the air, preparing to eviscerate his victim on the spot.

At that moment, Hercules ran into the monster, tackling him to the ground and throwing him to the side.

The creature got up again, growling and snapping at the son of Zeus.

"You're a werewolf, aren't you?" demanded Hercules.

Saying nothing, the werewolf lunged at Hercules who quickly came back with an uppercut that knocked the monster clear on its back.

Whimpering, the monster got up again and circled Hercules more warily. It had never been struck so hard before in its life.

This time the werewolf got up on its hind legs and slashed at Hercules with its claws. Hercules ducked underneath the drove his fist into the creature's stomach and then punched the werewolf's side with his other fist.

As the werewolf stumbled back, Hercules grabbed the werewolf by the head and kneed the creature right in the snout, causing the creature to fall back.

Falling down, the werewolf hits its head on a rock. Soon, its prone body changed back into that of a man.

"Amazing, you defeated a werewolf!" the farmer exclaimed. "Who are you?"

"I'm Hercules," the demi-god replied.

"Oh, thank the gods!" the man exclaimed. "Now we have a hero who can restore Arcadia to us!"

Soon enough, Iolaus and Falafel raced towards the scene.

"We heard a skirmish," Iolaus told his friend. "What happened?"

"We can start at the beginning, beginning with you," Hercules looked at the shepherd. "But first let's get this guy tied up."

Iolaus took out the ropes and tied up the unconscious man.

"My name is Diodorus," the shepherd explained. "For years, our countryside has been plagued with werewolves. No doubt you've heard of how King Lycaon earned the wrath of Zeus?"

Hercules nodded.

"Lycaon was transformed into a wolf as punishment," continued Diodorus, "but in time, that curse was transformed into a benefit for Lycaon, as he learned to ravish our countrysides, taking away our livestock and our family!"

"This werewolf is Lycaon?" asked Hercules.

"No, this is one of Lycaon's henchmen," Diodorus confirmed. "Lycaon has turned most of his royal entourage into werewolves as well."

"Hercules, do we have the time to spare fighting werewolves?" asked Iolaus as he tied up the werewolf. "We have to stop Alexander."

"Why hasn't Alexander or Philip done anything about Lycaon?" asked Hercules. "After all, they've made such a big deal about how they're bringing peace and order to Greece."

"His royal highness doesn't care about the common people as much as he makes himself out to be," Diodorus told Hercules. "Besides, Lycaon makes sure to pay tribute to the Macedonians to keep them off his back."

Without warning, the man that Iolaus was tying up suddenly woke up and bit Iolaus right on his hand.

"Ow!" Iolaus cried.

The man quickly broke the ropes around his hands and transformed back into his wolf form, running back into the forest.

"He bit me!" Iolaus looked at his bleeding hand in disbelief.

Nervously, Diodorus backed away from Iolaus.

"He who is bitten by a werewolf will become one!" Diodorus said fearfully.

"Relax," Hercules tried to assure the man. "Iolaus isn't going to harm you."

"That's what they all say!" Diodorus shook his head. "Until man transforms into beast under the full moon and tears apart anything in sight, including their friends and family."

Iolaus himself looked deathly pale as he sat down in fear.

"Is it true?" Iolaus asked. "Am I going to become one of them?"

"I won't let that happen to you, Iolaus," Hercules promised. "You've had your body possessed by Dahak. When we were in Dacia, you managed to fight off Vlad's mind control even when you had been turned into a vampire. You'll get through this!"

"I hope you're right Herc," Iolaus looked down at the ground anxiously.

"There is hope," Diodorus said to Hercules. "According to the myths, if the alpha of the werewolf pack is destroyed, the rest of the werewolves will return to their human forms and the curse will be broken."

"Then I think it's time we paid King Lycaon a visit," Hercules declared resolutely.

oooo

"So, it was Hercules you encountered?" King Lycaon stroked his grey beard.

In the middle of the majestic Arcadian throne room, a grey-haired king sat atop his royal chair as dozens of his royal entourage stood there, awaiting their king's next command.

"Yes your majesty," his werewolf servant, Demarchus replied. "He struck with the strength of ten men, or perhaps a hundred. Maybe a thousand…"

The other courtiers in King Lycaon's court began to gossip about the issue amongst themselves as Lycaon faced his servant.

"The son of Zeus is in my kingdom," Lycaon said bemusedly. "After I had fed Zeus with human flesh, he turned me into what I am, in addition to killing my sons. Perhaps it is time I repaid the favor with Hercules."

"You must be careful your majesty," Demarchus warned. "Hercules possesses the strength of a god."

"Then perhaps it is time for us to change our strategies," Lycaon agreed. "We will have no other option but to invite Hercules… to dinner."

"I have something which will tip the odds in our favor," Demarchus told his monarch. "Before I fled, I managed to bite his travelling companion. He will no doubt come here seeking the cure."

"Good, then let us prepare for our new guest," Lycaon waved his hand.

oooo

As evening time neared, the four travelers found themselves before the ominous castle of King Lycaon. It was a large imposing citadel, similar to what Hercules and Iolaus had encountered before while in Dacia.

"This is the place," Diodorus told them. "I dare not go further."

"We gotta get inside, Hercules," Iolaus held his bandaged hand. "I think tonight's going to be a full moon and I don't know if I can last any longer like this."

"Don't worry Iolaus, we'll find a way to cure you," promised Hercules. "Right now I have a plan."

"What is it?" asked Iolaus.

"Diodorus, do you know of any hidden entrances in this castle?" asked Hercules.

"Yes, I've seen Lycaon's men emerge before from a secret tunnel near his castle," Diodorus answered uncertainly. "But why do you need to know that? I thought you were going to call King Lycaon out to meet you?"

"I need you to sneak Falafel inside," Hercules told him.

"But it could be suicide!" protested Diodorus.

"Do you want to live in fear for the rest of your life?" asked Hercules. "Or do you want to put an end to this curse once and for all?"

"I… suppose you're right," Diodorus finally agreed.

"Falafel, I have a special task for you," Hercules told the chef.

"Yes, Hercules?" asked the food vendor.

For a moment, Hercules took Falafel aside and spoke a few choice words with him. After hearing what Hercules had to say, Falafel perked up and agreed.

"Yes Hercules, one special order coming right up!" Falafel beamed.

oooo

"My lord, Hercules has arrived," the soldier told King Lycaon.

"Excellent, let him in," Lycaon commanded.

At once, Lycaon rose and walked together with the guards. Soon enough, he came before the front door and motioned for his soldiers to open it.

As the gate opened wide, Lycaon noted a tall man standing there with a smaller blonde traveling companion. There was no doubt that this was Hercules.

"Hercules, I must say it is a great honor to meet you," greeted Lycaon.

"I wish I could say the same," Hercules replied. "But I'm here for one reason."

"Oh, we have plenty of time for that," Lycaon replied as his royal entourage surrounded Hercules and Iolaus. "But first, would you mind staying for dinner?"

"Not at all," Hercules gave a wry smile.

"Good, then come with me," Lycaon motioned.

"I think you know why we're here," Hercules told the king

"I assume it is because you and your companion encountered complications while travelling through Arcadia?" Lycaon ventured a guess.

"Let's not mince words," Hercules said. "Iolaus was bitten by one of your servants. If I may be so bold, all I ask is for the cure."

"Yeah," added Iolaus sarcastically. "Plus if you could also stop it with the attacks on livestock and people, that would be great too!"

Ignoring Iolaus, Lycaon looked at Hercules with bemused interest.

"Why Hercules, why do you assume your friend needs a cure?" asked the werewolf king. "After all, in order for one to require a cure, they would first have to be diseased."

At that point, King Lycaon's eyes flashed, briefly turning into an eerie shade of yellow.

"And I promise you, what we possess is no disease."

"Um, I would beg to differ," added Iolaus. "You see, I know a thing or two about being turned into a monster or getting possessed. Trust me, it's no fun."

"You have not yet seen the light," Lycaon finally acknowledged the smaller man. "To be what we are is to possess strength, speed, and heightened senses… all above that of mortal men. What we possess… is a gift. How can you turn down such a wonderful gift?"

Nervously, Iolaus looked towards Hercules for support.

"Look your majesty," Hercules told the king. "My friend and I are on a very important journey right now. And I'm hoping we can work this out peacefully."

"Then come," beckoned King Lycaon. "Let us talk over dinner. And first, allow me to give you a tour of my castle."

Gritting his teeth, Hercules followed the king and Iolaus soon followed up. All they could hope for now was Falafel coming through for them.

oooo

After trudging through several hidden tunnels, Falafel and Diodorus made it to a trap door leading inside the castle itself.

The two of them were currently wearing the suits of professional chefs. Hercules had given them a very important mission, one that would be instrumental in helping to stop the werewolves.

On the way, their journey was not made easier by the fact that the tunnels were rank with the smell of corpses and littered with the bones of humans and animals alike. Luckily for them, however, it was not yet nightfall and they encountered no werewolves in the tunnels.

"We will be inside soon," Falafel started pushing at the door to no success.

"There's got to be some kind of lever here," Diodorus began to fumble around the wall.

Almost on accident, Diodorus pressed down on one of the controls and opened up the door just as Falafel was pushing on it, causing the chef to fall right through the door.

"Sorry about that," Diodorus went through the door and helped Falafel up.

"Where is the kitchen?" asked Falafel.

"Not sure, let's go look for it," Diodorus replied. "And for the record, this plan is crazy. I don't know why Hercules wants to go through with it."

"Because Hercules wants me to prove just how good of a chef I am," Falafel answered proudly.

Diodorus had not yet tasted Falafel's cooking so he had no opinion. However, just the thought of going on a potential suicide mission to get Falafel inside Lycaon's kitchen made him extremely apprehensive nonetheless

"You two!"

Both Falafel and Diodorus turned around and saw a guard standing before them.

"What are you doing here?" the guard demanded.

"We… got lost!" Falafel replied as quickly as he could.

"You must be the new chefs," the guard guessed. "C'mon and get a move on! You have a feast to cook tonight!"

"Yes of course!" Falafel nodded as he and Diodorus followed the guard.

oooo

"As you can see," Lycaon gestured towards the countryside as he stood atop the tower, "my kingdom is happy and content."

"Some of your subjects would beg to differ," Hercules pointed out.

Iolaus looked around nervously. All of Lycaon's royal courtiers were eyeing him and Hercules with predatory glares. At any moment, they could turn and attack them on the spot. It was as if the only thing holding them back from going feral was Lycaon himself.

"They are cattle, Hercules," Lycaon told the demi-god. "Insects, even. They do not comprehend what it means to be where they are in the food chain."

"You know, I've heard of turning curses into blessings but this is ridiculous," Iolaus said to the king. "You and your band of werewolves run all over the countryside doing whatever you want and you don't even give a second thought about the people you harm."

"Did not Zeus do the same when he transformed me into a wolf?" demanded Lycaon. "After all, wasn't the king of the gods and his offspring are entitled to run amuck doing whatever he wanted? Why should I not have that same privilege?"

"First of all," Hercules told Lycaon. "I am nothing like my father. In fact, it's usually a blue moon when I see eye to eye with him. Second, you butchered people and fed them to Zeus. How could you do something like that and not expect any consequences?"

"So the actions of your father were justified?" demanded Lycaon. "I'll have you know that as punishment, Zeus also slew my sons before my very eyes!"

"I am sorry for your loss," Hercules told the king. "It's one thing to punish you but what my father did to your sons was wrong. But at some point, the madness has to stop, King Lycaon. You have the power to stop the killings. You have the power to be at peace with your subjects and earn their good will."

For a very brief moment, King Lycaon looked as if there was regret in his eyes. Slowly, however, the regret faded as he turned away. As he mulled over the subject, King Lycaon decided that the best course of action would be to turn Hercules and transform the son of Zeus into one of his subjects.

If anything, it would be the best form of revenge. After all, Zeus had taken his sons and what better way to spite the gods than to transform the son of Zeus into a werewolf?

"I will think it over," Lycaon finally said to Hercules ambiguously. "Come, our tour is not yet over. Besides, dinner will be on me tonight."

As Lycaon motioned for Hercules to follow him, Iolaus looked at his own wounded hand with trepidation. The swelling and the pain were growing. And soon, tonight would be a full moon.

Hercules himself put a sympathetic hand on the shoulder of Iolaus. Already he had a gut feeling that Lycaon would not be in a receptive mood to listen to him and he had a good inkling that the night was about to get worse.

"This isn't going to be easy, is it?" Iolaus asked his friend.

"Nope, something tells me we're about to have a _long_ night," agreed Hercules.


	4. Chapter 4

**Destined for Greatness**

_Chapter 3_

"Please," King Lycaon motioned for Hercules and Iolaus. "You must be tired from your long journey. Make yourselves at home and rest before supper."

"Thank you, King Lycaon," Hercules replied as he and Iolaus headed into the room.

"Dinner will begin within two hours," Lycaon informed them.

"Oh yeah, you mind if we explore the castle on our own for a while after we're rested?" asked Hercules.

"Of course," Lycaon said with total confidence. "My home is your home."

Inside was a sparse room with a wolf skin carpet and one king-sized bed. As King Lycaon closed the door, Hercules and Iolaus looked at each other.

"There's only one bed," Iolaus looked at Hercules funnily.

"Yeah, about that…" Hercules replied nervously.

"Looks like you two got the honeymoon suite!"

Hercules and Iolaus whirled around to see Ares standing behind them.

"Ares!" growled Hercules.

"I sincerely hope you two have the night of your lives," Ares said mockingly, "because my boy Alex is making progress in Asia Minor!"

"After we're through with this," promised Hercules, "we'll put a stop to your little pet project in world conquest."

"That's IF you're through with this," Ares told the duo. "You see, come nightfall you'll be dealing with fifteen to twenty raging werewolves. Not to mention, dear brother, the fact that your sidekick is going to have to deal with some _hair-raising_ problems of his own."

"Oh no, the curse!" Iolaus began fretting again. "I'd almost forgotten about that!"

"Calm down Iolaus," Hercules tried to reassure his companion. "You'll make it through this just like you've made it through everything we've been through together."

"Haha," Ares laughed. "Personally, I hope Lycaon does you in tonight because Alexander has been mopping up the Persians left and right. You won't be a match for him."

"We'll see, Ares," promised Hercules.

Ares scowled and disappeared, leaving the demi-god and his friend to themselves.

oooo

"You two aren't new cooks," the chief chef scowled. "I don't remember hiring you two."

Falafel and Diodorus looked at each other nervously. If they didn't say something soon, their cover would be blown."

"On the contrary," Hercules walked up to all of them. "Falafel's the best chef we've got in Greece."

"Really?" the chef asked. "I've never heard of him before. What if he tries to poison the food?"

"That's because sometimes the best things slip under the radar," Hercules replied. "Besides, what are you afraid of? That he'll poison it? I'll be joining everyone at dinner so that should tell you how confident I am of Falafel's cooking abilities."

"Hmm, I suppose you're right," the chef replied. "Besides, it's about time we tried something new. Carry on then!"

As the chef walked away, Falafel breathed a huge sigh of relief.

"Oh thank you Hercules," the cook told his demi-god patron. "I would have been a goner if it hadn't been for you!"

"Remember our plan?" Hercules asked Falafel.

"Yes, I got it!" Falafel confirmed. "I'll give it my all!"

"Just in case the plan doesn't work, what then?" asked Diodorus. "How will you deal with an enraged werewolf clan?"

"I'll figure that out when the time comes," Hercules told him. "For now, I just want you to help Falafel prepare everything."

"Alright Hercules," promised Diodorus.

oooo

As evening dawned, King Lycaon and his royal entourage took their seats at the dinner table for supper. After a while, Hercules and Iolaus joined them as well.

"A very good evening to you," King Lycaon bowed graciously to Hercules.

Hercules nodded in return and sat down with Iolaus.

Iolaus looked down at his own hand. The swelling was still there and he was slowly beginning to feel something deep within. It was as if a beast was attempting to break loose and wrest control of all his senses.

Soon, two serving boys came to the table and presented the dinner to everyone as all the people in the room stared hungrily.

There were a variety of dishes, ranging from beer to lamb to chicken to venison. There were several other meals made specifically by Falafel, including the meat wraps from his own vending stands.

Cautiously, both Hercules and Iolaus took slow conservative bites from their food as the other members of King Lycaon's court began to feast like animals.

"The time for pleasantries is now over," Lycaon said to Hercules. "I'll make this as clear as the moonlight we'll see tonight. Join my army and together we will rule the night!"

"I'll pass," Hercules declared resolutely. "You see, Iolaus and I have a mission that doesn't involve you and we're going to go through with it with or without your permission."

"That is unfortunate," King Lycaon finally showed his canine as Demarchus stiffened next to him. "You leave me no choice but to resort to force, Hercules."

Hercules tensed as well. He had fought vampires before but his experience with werewolves was more limited. As the alpha of the pack, Lycaon was presumably a lot more powerful than his servants.

"Members of the Lycaon clan!" shouted the king. "Tonight is the night we add two new members to our ranks! Tonight is the night… we transform!"

At once, Lycaon's eyes glazed back as dark red hair began to cascade all over his skin. Demarchus, too, began to transform.

Hercules and Iolaus got up and backed away. Soon, an enormous red werewolf stood before them, growling and snapping. In this body, King Lycaon was even more deadly than ever.

Crouching down, Demarchus, now also in wolf form, leaped up at Hercules. Immediately, Herc drew his arm back and punched Demarchus in the chest hard enough to knock him back into the steps of the throne room.

"Lycaon clan!" Lycaon shouted. "What has gotten over you?!"

Hercules turned around, noting with great surprise and relief that his plan had come to fruition.

The members of Lycaon's court were rolling on the floor in pain. Some had thrown up all over the floor while others were grabbing their stomachs in pain as if they had been poisoned.

"No!" roared Lycaon. "What is going on?"

Hercules smiled. It seemed that Falafel had actually come through for them.

"You once fed human flesh to Zeus," Hercules pointed a finger at the raging Lycaon. "So we decided to feed you something worse…"

Frantically, King Lycaon looked around as pretty much all of his court, minus Demarchus, were taken out of the fight due to stomach and intestinal problems brought about by the food poisoning. Some were still rolling around in pain while others had already passed out.

"Falafel's cooking," Hercules finished.

"That's not possible!" Lycaon hissed. "You also ate the food!"

"This may come as a surprise to you," Iolaus told the alpha wolf. "But we've been putting up with Falafel's fast food for years. He's always there whenever we're far out of town and don't have anything else to eat."

"We've built up immunity to Falafel food," smiled Hercules.

"Raaaagh!" screamed King Lycaon.

With a roar of anger, King Lycaon leaped into the air and landed in front of Hercules. With one swing, he batted aside Iolaus, slamming the smaller man against the wall.

"Iolaus!" shouted Hercules.

Lycaon did not give Hercules a chance to dive to his friend's rescue. Immediately, he struck Hercules in the chest with the palm of his hand, knocking back the demi-god.

As Hercules got up, Lycaon flipped across the air and landed in front of him once more.

Angrily, Hercules punched Lycaon across the face, drawing a yelp of surprise from the werewolf king. The demi-god then socked Lycaon viciously across the other side of his face and then kicked him in the chest to push him back.

Lycaon came back with a dropkick that sent Hercules soaring back again. As Hercules got back up, Lycaon punched him across the face and then elbowed the demi-god in the stomach. He then grabbed Hercules by the head and flipped the hero over.

Raising his hand up, Lycaon brought it down, only for Hercules to roll out of the way as the werewolf king smashed into the stone on the floor. With a swift upper kick, Hercules drove his foot into the werewolf's snout to sent Lycaon stumbling back.

As Lycaon got up, Hercules leaped onto the werewolf, scissoring both legs around Lycaon's neck. In one quick motion, Herc twisted his body around and flipped the werewolf back-first onto the dinner table.

Just as he did that, Hercules noticed the full moon rising.

"Hercules!" shouted Iolaus, falling to the floor. "It's happening!"

"Iolaus, no!" screamed Hercules.

Demarchus grabbed Iolaus from behind, holding him in place. The transformation was brutal and painful. Iolaus screamed as his head snapped back. Grey hair emerged across his face, arms, and chest as fangs sprouted out from his mouth. With blood red eyes, Iolaus howled into the full moon.

Soon, the image of his friend was gone, replaced with a ravenous looking beast.

"Iolaus, you have to fight it!" urged Hercules.

Iolaus, now a werewolf, stared into Hercules eyes, undecided on what he should do.

"You're one of the strongest people I know," continued Hercules. "You resisted Dahak's control. You resisted Vlad's control. You can fight this!"

For a brief second, Iolaus looked like he was finally regaining his senses. Soon, however, animal instincts took over once more as he growled and snarled like a true werewolf.

Hercules took a step back, preparing for the worst. Instead of attacking Hercules, however, Iolaus whirled around and, to the surprise of everyone in the room, pounced on Demarchus and attacked him instead.

"Hercules!" growled Iolaus in a deep voice. "Stop Lycaon! I'll keep this one busy!"

"That's my Iolaus," Hercules gave a wry smile.

Seeing his chance, Lycaon pounced onto Hercules from behind and bit down on his shoulder, drawing blood. Hercules screamed in agony as Lycaon sank his teeth into his flesh.

Pushing his body back, Hercules slammed his back, along with Lycaon against the wall, forcing the werewolf to let go of his bite.

As soon as Lycaon recovered, he struck Hercules with a backhand, throwing the demi-god against the table. As Lycaon moved in on him, Hercules grabbed a metal flask from the table and smashed Lycaon over the head with it. With a quick spin, Hercules spun his back across the table, kicking Lycaon across the face to knock him away.

Lycaon got up again, in revelry that he was able to bite the son of Zeus.

"You have my curse flowing through you now!" Lycaon told the Greek hero.

"Agh!" Hercules fell to one knee, clutching the wound on his shoulder.

In anticipation, Lycaon watched as the clouds moved away. Soon, the moon was up once more as its beams shined down on them all.

"Prepare for a re-awakening!" Lycaon told Hercules.

Hercules looked up at the pure moonlight, expecting the transformation to begin at any second.

To Lycaon's disappointment, Hercules soon realized the truth as he felt no lycanthropic change in his body. Hair and fangs did not sprout from him as the werewolf king had expected.

"This can't be!" Lycaon roared. "I bit you myself!"

"You forget that the blood of a god flows through my veins," Hercules reminded the king. "Your curse is useless against me!"

At that exact moment, Iolaus had just got done defeating Demarchus. With one swift kick to the jaw, Iolaus knocked down the werewolf servant of Lycaon.

"If I can't change you, then you will all die!" promised Lycaon. "Starting… with your friend!"

Almost faster than Hercules could react, Lycaon leaped towards Iolaus and slashed the newly transformed werewolf across the face. With several quick blows, Lycaon struck Iolaus down and then planted his foot atop the smaller werewolf.

"Time to die!" cried Lycaon.

From the side, Hercules tackled Lycaon and threw him off of Iolaus. As Lycaon fell against the throne room, Hercules quickly rolled towards the wall and grabbed one of the spears with his good arm. In one swift motion, he threw the spear, impaling Lycaon against the wall with it.

"Raaaahhh!" shouted Lycaon.

The mad king thrashed repeatedly but was unable to free himself from the spear that had imbedded itself, along with his body, against the wall.

"This cannot be…" croaked Lycaon.

Slowly but surely, Lycaon's body began to change back into the old man he had once been.

"The curse is over…" Lycaon seemed to regain sanity as his life slipped away from him.

Soon, Iolaus felt his body changing back as well.

"I almost had the son of Zeus," Lycaon murmured. "I was so close to my revenge…"

With that, the werewolf king of Arcadia finally stopped moving. At that moment, Hercules looked at the man with a mixture of sadness and disappointment.

"Hercules," Iolaus said. "It's over. The curse is finally over! You saved me!"

"It wasn't just me Iolaus," Hercules told his friend. "You played a big part in making sure the werewolf curse didn't destroy your soul, just like I knew you would."

"What can I say?" smiled Iolaus. "Thanks for believing in me again, Herc."

"Is it over?" Diodorus walked into the room along with Falafel.

"It's done," Hercules nodded as both Falafel and Diodorus looked in surprise and shock at the dead body of Lycaon.

"Falafel," Iolaus looked at the chef. "Your cooking really helped us all out!"

"Aw, you shouldn't have!" blushed Falafel.

"Anyways Herc, let's get a move-on, shall we?" Iolaus asked.

"Actually," Hercules looked at Iolaus hesitantly. "First things first."

It was then that Iolaus realized that the werewolf transformation process had torn off all his clothes.

"Oh, right," Iolaus grabbed onto a towel from the table and tried to cover himself.

oooo

"I don't know how to thank you enough," Diodorus told Hercules and his two companions. "You've saved all of us from the curse!"

"Think nothing of it," Hercules replied. "Just glad we could help."

"Hopefully there won't be any more werewolves running around Arcadia after this," Iolaus nodded his head.

"There won't be," Diodorus agreed. "The rest of Lycaon's henchmen can't transform anymore. They should have plenty of time in prison to make up for their crimes."

"It was good meeting you Diodorus," Hercules shook the shepherd's hand. "If there's any more trouble in Arcadia, we'll be back to help."

"Yeah, if anyone else makes trouble in Arcadia, just feed them Falafel's cooking," Iolaus smirked.

"Hey!" protested Falafel.

"Just kidding Falafel," Iolaus laughed. "You're a great chef… I think."

"Thank you my friend," Diodorus shook Hercules hand and then watched as the demi-god and his companions walked off into the sunset.

oooo

Jason had had a very long and illustrious career through his life. He'd been groomed to be the King of Corinth. He had led the Argonauts into battle. And he had even married the mother of Hercules, the strongest man alive.

Now, however, old age was setting in and his wild youthful days were more and more becoming a thing of the past.

He was settled down now with Lilith and their daughter Seska. What he had was a quiet and peaceful life, though he still craved adventure every now and then. After all, he wanted to prove that he still had it in him.

A knock at the door soon alerted him from his daydreaming. Quickly, Jason got up and took the door.

"Hercules!" Jason looked surprise.

"Sorry to drop in on such short notice," Hercules told the former king. "But I was wondering if you still had a ship."

"Why, of course," Jason nodded. "What do you need it for?"

"No doubt you've heard of Alexander?" Iolaus asked.

"I don't keep up with the news as much as I should," Jason replied. "But yes, I know of him and how he's king of Greece now."

"Well, he's trying to be king of the world now," Iolaus told Jason. "And I mean that very literally."

"We're hoping to take a ship to Asia Minor so we can try to slow him down and at least talk sense into him," Hercules said to his old comrade.

"I'd be happy to help, Hercules," Jason agreed. "Say, why is Falafel travelling with you?"

Falafel waved at Jason.

"Long story short, he helped us out big time in Arcadia," explained Hercules. "Plus he insisted on tagging along."

"Then what're we waiting for?" Jason grabbed onto his sword. "Let's get a move on!"

"Before we go, would anyone like to try my new chicken wraps?" asked Falafel. "I made enough for everyone!"

"No!" shouted Hercules and Iolaus at once, shocking both Falafel and Jason.

For a second, both men looked embarrassed at their temporary outburst.

"Um, what I mean is that Falafel's been working hard as a chef his whole life," Hercules quickly exercised damage control. "He deserves to have a break while we do the cooking and cleaning on this trip."

The frown on Falafel's face quickly turned upside down into a smile, as he accepted Herc's words at face value. After all, he did feel he deserved a break every now and then.

"Okay then!" Falafel agreed.


	5. Chapter 5

**Destined for Greatness**

_Chapter 5_

As Jason's ship landed near the shores of the northern part of Asia Minor, all four passengers departed and set foot on land.

"Thanks for the ride, Jason," Hercules told his old friend.

"Yeah, say hi to Seska and Lilith for us," added Iolaus.

"Not so fast," Jason told the two.

Hercules and Iolaus turned around in surprise.

"I'll be going with you," promised Jason. "Seska and Lilith are currently away on a mother-daughter retreat with the Amazons, which frees up my time."

"Jason, you've got a family now," Hercules reminded the former king. "Say you don't come back from this journey. What will I say to your wife and daughter if I have to bring your body back to them?"

"With all due respect, Hercules," replied Jason. "You're going up against perhaps the strongest army in the world. You need all the manpower you can get."

"Jason's right," Iolaus nodded. "Alexander's army is strong enough to take on the world. We really could use some help."

"Don't forget about me!" Falafel stumbled off the ship.

"Herc, we already know Jason can defend himself," Iolaus whispered to his best friend. "But remind me again why he's still coming along?"

"Well, Falafel did help us out against Lycaon," Hercules noted.

"If we're going to go, then we'll have to go now," Jason told the two. "Who knows how far Alexander's already gotten."

"Agreed, let's move out," Hercules concurred.

oooo

Conquering most of Asia Minor had been a daunting task but much of the work had already been completed.

Now equipped with the mightiest army in the world, Alexander was doing everything in his power to take what he felt was rightfully his, starting with the Persian Empire's beloved breadbasket, Asia Minor.

Along the way, he also had help. Ares, the god of war, had been there, advising him, in addition to sowing chaos and confusion among the enemy ranks. And just like that, the Persians were now fleeing from his conquering army.

He did not know why but his father's memory was becoming more and more distant. Alexander truly did miss his father but at the same time, he was not afforded the luxury of grieving over him for too long. He now had the world to conquer and because of his conquests, his mind had been too occupied to really give much time or thought to the deceased Philip II.

"How you doing, kid?" Ares appeared alongside Alexander.

The entire army was now camped outside of Phrygia, a once mighty kingdom that had now become territory to the Persians. But soon, all of that would change.

"I am well, Lord Ares," Alexander glanced at the city. "It is strongly fortified."

"That won't be a problem," promised Ares, "as long as you've got me by your side."

"Is there anything I should know about this city?" asked Alexander.

"Yes in fact," Ares' face brightened. "You see, the kingdom of Phrygia once had a king known as Gordias. The legacy he left behind was the Gordian Knot, an enchanted knot on an ox-cart in the city. Whoever can cut that knot will become ruler of all of Asia."

Alexander listened with great interest.

"Think you're up to the task?" Ares looked at his pupil.

"I was born for it," Alexander answered without hesitation.

"Good," Ares smiled. "Stick with me, kid, and you'll go far in life."

"Thank you, Lord Ares."

"But first things first," Ares pointed towards the still-fortified city.

Alexander's face grew serious again. He still had the mission at hand before he could think about fulfilling any mystical prophecies.

"Men!" Alexander left his tent. "Gather your horses and armor! We lay siege now!"

At once, the combined Greek and Macedonian army complied.

Ares smiled and disappeared.

As Alexander stood there and watched his men march forward for the siege, another one of his devoted followers came up to him.

"Beautiful day in the neighborhood, isn't it?" Salmoneus asked.

Salmoneus was one of the people who had accompanied him on his journey. The former travelling salesman had found a new calling. He was now the chronicler and personal scribe of Alexander.

"Indeed Salmoneus," Alexander agreed. "Tell me something."

"Yes your excellency?" asked Salmoneus.

"What do you intend to do when the world is within my grasp?" Alexander asked him.

"Well gee, that's an interesting question," Salmoneus scratched his head. "I guess when the dust clears, I'd like to settle down and make some real profit… you know, when you've made the world safer and trade routes more secure to travel on."

"Then all of that will be yours, Salmoneus," promised Alexander. "Stick with me and I will make you rich beyond your wildest imagination."

"Sounds like a deal, your majesty!" beamed Salmoneus.

oooo

As Hercules and his companions closed in on Phrygia on horseback, they noticed tents outside the once-mighty kingdom.

Several times they had been nearly stalled on their trip, mostly due to Falafel falling off his horse at the most inopportune of times. But now they were at their destination and the only thing left was confronting Alexander.

Luckily, the walled city was not set aflame, meaning that there had been no massacre. In all likelihood, the city had surrendered to Alexander. Deep down, Hercules was grateful that the loss of life had been minimal.

"Falafel, you wait here," Jason told the chef as he pointed to some dense trees nearby.

"What for?" asked the food vendor.

"Well, we'd like to convince Alexander to stop his conquests," Jason told the man. "But just in case negotiations break down, there's a heavy chance of fighting."

"Jason is right, Falafel," Iolaus added. "You'll be safer hiding here."

For a moment, Falafel looked like he was about to protest but finally complied and went to hide in the trees.

As Hercules headed towards the city, Ares appeared in front of him.

"Hello dear brother."

"Not you again," Hercules groaned.

"What, can't I come by to say hi to my little sibling?" Ares asked mockingly.

"What do you really want?" demanded Hercules.

"All I want is for you to go inside for a little meet-and-greet with my boy Alex," Ares answered innocently.

"You've got something planned," Hercules deduced instantly.

"I always do," Ares smiled and vanished.

"It's a trap, isn't it?" Jason shook his head.

"It is," Hercules nodded. "But we don't have a choice but to confront it head-on."

oooo

"Your highness," the phalanx soldier kneeled before Alexander. "Three men from outside the city are here to see you."

"Let them in," Alexander stood with his back facing the window in the throne room he had just conquered.

At once, Hercules, Iolaus, and Jason entered into the room.

"Hercules, is that you?" Alexander turned around.

"It is, Alexander," Hercules replied.

"I see you've brought your friend," Alexander glanced at Iolaus, and then Jason. "Speaking of which, what is the former King of Corinth doing here?"

"Hercules and Iolaus passed by my place and needed a boat to Asia Minor," Jason answered.

"Sure you're not trying to relive your glory days by accompanying these two younger men?" Alexander asked sarcastically.

"Excuse me?" Jason's expression soured.

"Jason's a valuable friend of mine," Hercules spoke up for his companion. "He and I have gone through a lot together and I trust him with my life."

"Salmoneus, what are you doing here?" Iolaus demanded, seeing the travelling salesman by Alexander's side.

"Salmoneus is now my scribe," explained Alexander. "Wherever I journey, he journeys with me."

"So what's your price nowadays, traitor?" Iolaus demanded.

"Guys, I haven't betrayed anyone!" insisted Salmoneus. "Look, my businesses have had a string of bad luck lately and being with Alexander has really helped me out."

"I thought you were a good man," Jason gave Salmoneus a sour glare. "I never imagined you'd become a war profiteer."

"Guys, you don't know Alexander," insisted Salmoneus. "Yes, he's conquered cities but he's always been lenient and merciful towards the people he's defeated."

"Look, let's not jump to conclusions," Hercules had to intervene before a full-blown argument could erupt. "Alexander, may I speak with you in private?"

"Certainly," Alexander walked towards the balcony as Hercules followed.

"Is this what you want?" Hercules asked as he and Alexander were a good distance away from the others.

"Yes, it is my birthright," Alexander was adamant.

"You're starting a war of conquest," Hercules told the younger man. "And in these wars, a lot of innocent people can suffer."

"What makes you think I wish for them to suffer?" asked Alexander. "All I want is for my people… and all people to have peace and stability."

"This peace is going to come at a high price," Hercules cautioned. "Are you really sure you want to pay that price?"

"Yes, absolutely," Alexander nodded resolutely.

"Your majesty!" a soldier appeared into the room.

"What is it?" demanded Alexander.

"The Gordian Knot is now on full display in the city," the soldier replied. "Whenever you are ready, we will proceed."

"Yes, of course," Alexander dismissed the soldier with a wave of his hand.

"The Gordian Knot?" Hercules was in disbelief. "Legend has it that anyone who cuts open the knot will be King of Asia."

"Yes, and I will claim that right," Alexander was resolute.

"Oh, he'll cut it alright," Ares appeared in a flash. "But he'll need the power of a god to do it."

"Ares, I was hoping I wouldn't see you," Hercules frowned.

"You're going to be helping my prodigy out," Ares told Hercules matter-of-factly.

"To do what?" demanded Hercules.

"Only one with the strength of a god can destroy the knot," explained Ares. "And well, I can't have you cutting the Gordian Knot."

Without warning, Ares appeared behind Jason and held the older man in a vice-like grip. He grabbed a knife on the side of his belt and held it to Jason's throat. With a flick of his wrist, he blasted Alexander with a small beam of energy, charging the conqueror with a radiant light.

"Now be a good boy and let Alex have your strength," Ares told Hercules.

"Don't do it Hercules," Jason pleaded.

All this time, Alexander looked around uncertainly. He had not planned on Ares setting this kind of plan in motion, one that would involve a hostage.

"I don't have a choice," Hercules walked towards Alexander. "Jason, you've got a family to go back to. You're not going to die."

"There's a good boy," Ares smiled. "And don't worry, little brother. This won't be permanent. After Alexander gets done cutting the Gordian Knot, you'll have your powers back."

This was not the first time Ares had tricked Hercules into giving up his powers. In a previous timeline that Hercules had managed to erase, Ares had taken his strength from him in exchange for freeing Serena. Because Hercules had changed that timeline and saved Serena's life, Ares no longer had any memory of that alternate timeline. However, that didn't mean he wasn't capable of plotting similar tricks.

"Let's get this over with," Hercules looked at Alexander straight in the eye.

"Hercules, you don't have to—" protested Alexander.

Without hesitation, Hercules grabbed onto Alexander's hand, transferring every bit of his god-like strength to the conqueror. Finally weakened, Hercules fell to both his knees.

"I did what you wanted," Hercules glared at Ares. "Now let Jason go."

"As you wish," Ares threw Jason to the side.

Iolaus helped Hercules up as the larger man stumbled forward slightly.

"You feeling alright?" asked Iolaus.

"Peachy," Hercules grimaced.

"Alright son," Ares patted Alexander on the shoulder. "Let's go show these people you're king of the world!"

oooo

Now standing before his soldiers and a throng of townspeople, Alexander stood before the legendary Gordian Knot.

Now imbued with the power of a god, he had the strength necessary to cut the knot and become master of Asia.

However, there was something else on his mind. He wasn't going to be cutting the knot with his own strength, but that of Hercules. It was unfortunate that he had to take the power of his hero in order to accomplish such a task. To him, it didn't really feel like much of a victory.

"What are you waiting for?" Ares whispered next to him. "Cut it!"

Closing his eyes, Alexander raised his sword and brought it down, severing the Gordian Knot to the cheers of thousands.

"It's done," Ares smiled. "The continent is yours."

Through the crowd, Alexander saw Hercules there with Iolaus and Jason. Still weak, Hercules had to be supported by Iolaus leaning next to him.

"Lord Ares, please allow Hercules to have his strength back," Alexander requested.

"Wait, you seriously thought I was going to give Herc's powers back to him?" Ares looked surprised.

"He helped me become lord of Asia," Alexander replied. "It's the least I could do."

"Yeah Ares," Iolaus glared at the god of war. "A promise is a promise."

"Fine," Ares threw both hands into the air. "Have it your way."

Steadily, Iolaus helped Hercules forward. Without hesitation, Alexander grabbed the arm of Hercules and transferred all of his god-like powers back to him.

"I'm sorry Hercules," Alexander tried to explain. "I had no idea Lord Ares would do something like this. It took me by surprise too."

Ares frowned. Was his pupil now trying to shift blame on him?

"What do you have to apologize for?" Iolaus glared at Alexander. "You're king of the world now."

"It's not too late, Alexander," Hercules told the young man. "Turn back from this."

"I'm afraid I have no choice now," Alexander replied resolutely. "Whoever cuts the Gordian Knot will become ruler of Asia."

"You heard the man," Ares concentrated on Hercules, forgetting all about Alexander's previous infraction. "Alexander's got a world to conquer."

"Antigonus!" Alexander called out.

"Yes my king," an old general stepped out.

"You will govern these recently conquered lands in my absence," Alexander ordered.

"It would be my honor," Antigonus promised.

"Not so fast," Hercules stood before them, his god-like strength back. "There's not going to be anymore conquest or bloodshed on my watch."

For a moment, Alexander looked uncertain as to what he should do. He was a follower of Ares now but at the same time, Hercules was someone he had looked up to ever since childhood. He did not want to go against his hero.

"You sure you want to do that?" Ares asked.

"What're you going to do about it?" demanded Hercules.

"Not much," Ares replied, summoning an image in the air. "But do you really want to leave your little friend behind?"

At once, Hercules, Iolaus, and Jason saw Falafel running through the forest, away from some kind of large ferocious beast.

"The clock is ticking, Hercules," Ares promised. "Either try to stop me and my pupil now, or let your friend perish at the hands of my beast."

Hercules glared at Ares.

"This is not over," he promised.

"Not it certainly is not," Ares permitted himself to smile as Hercules and his companions ran off.


	6. Chapter 6

**Destined for Greatness**

_Chapter 6_

"What now, my lord?" asked Alexander.

Ares looked at his prodigy as if he were mentally deficient.

"What else?" Ares replied. "You take what is yours."

"Should we wait for Hercules to return?" asked the young man.

"Greatness doesn't wait for any man, woman, or child," Ares told him. "It's time for you to get over your boyhood adoration of Hercules and become your own man. Don't you want to be destined for greatness yourself?"

"I do," confessed Alexander. "But can't I still look up to someone I admire while still forging my own destiny?"

"It's possible," Ares told him. "But just remember, at some point you're going to want to stand on your own. Now move your troops out."

"At once mighty Ares," bowed Alexander who left the room.

Just as Antiochus was about to follow him, Ares stopped him.

"Not so fast," Ares said to the general. "I have a certain task for you."

"What is it?" asked Antiochus eagerly.

"After Hercules is done dealing with my beast, I want a squadron of you and your men down there immediately," ordered Ares. "Take care of him and his friends for me."

"Your order is my command," bowed Antiochus who left as well.

Ares frowned. He didn't believe for one second that Antiochus would be able to defeat Hercules even with all his men. But he still needed some cannon fodder to slow down Hercules for a while as Alexander continued his march.

oooo

"Aaaahhh!" Falafel leaned against a giant boulder as the monster closed in on him.

Finally, he got a good look at the beast. It was a large biped creature with the head of a goat. Its chest was shaped like that of a lion's head, including the mane. It also possessed a serpentine tail that hissed menacingly.

The chimera growled as it closed in on the vendor.

"Falafel!" Hercules' voice rang out.

Falafel sighed in relief as an arrow struck the tree right next to the chimera, diverting the beast's attention elsewhere.

The chimera roared in anger and charged towards Hercules, Iolaus, and Jason. It swung at Hercules to ducked underneath and spun around, catching the beast in the face with a leaping spin kick, knocking it against the tree.

"Raaagh!" hissed the chimera.

It swung at Hercules again and again. On its third swing, Hercules raised his own elbow and blocked a blow from the monster. He then grabbed the creature's arm and flipped it over on its back.

Quickly, the monster grabbed Hercules by the ankle and yanked him on his back in turn. It then mounted Hercules on the chest, holding the demi-god down. The chimera then raised its snake-like tail into the air, intending to strike down.

"Hercules!" screamed Iolaus.

The blonde mortal leaped onto the creature's back, grabbing its tail and attempting to wrest it away. In anger, the chimera threw Iolaus off and turned back to its original prey.

At that point, Hercules had regained his momentum and planted a foot into the monster's stomach, kicking it off. Iolaus and Jason soon joined his side.

"What is this thing?" asked Iolaus.

"It's a chimera," explained Hercules, getting up. "I didn't think these things were still around."

Roaring once more, the creature charged, easily batting Iolaus and Jason out of the way. Then it finally tackled Hercules, driving the demi-god against a tree.

Hercules fought back, kneeing the beast in the stomach and then punching it off of himself with both hands balled up. The chimera struck back, kicking Hercules in the stomach with a powerful hind leg. It then grabbed Hercules by the head and punched him in the face two times before throwing the demi-god to the ground.

Jason was the next to attack the beast, swinging wildly at the monster with his sword.

Initially, the chimera was not prepared to deal with the onslaught of Jason's assault. Jason cut the creature across the arms and chest several times, forcing the chimera back.

Jason then raised his sword up, bringing it down. Unfortunately for him, however, the chimera caught the blade in mid-air and backhanded Jason away.

Iolaus was next as he leaped into the air and kicked the chimera in the back to send it stumbling forwards.

Immediately, the monster's serpentine tail whipped out and tripped Iolaus, knocking him down to the forest floor.

Soon, the chimera closed in on Iolaus, towering over the diminutive man.

Before it could strike down, Jason came in from behind, striking the serpentine tail with his sword and severing it on one fell swoop.

The chimera roared in pain and turned around, grabbing Jason by the throat with both hands. With that, it began strangling the life out of the former Corinthian King.

"No!"

Hercules came in, punching the creature across the jaw with enough force to make it drop Jason.

The chimera fell back but then regained its bearings. It lowered its goat-like head and charged, attempting to ram Hercules.

Herc caught the two horns just as the beast closed in on him. He braced for impact as the creature pushed him back. Finally, Hercules gained enough leverage and threw the chimera and himself up. As he did, he planted both feet into the monster's face, kicking it several yards away.

As the chimera got up, Hercules closed in, punching the creature with all his might several times.

Finally, chimera dropped to both knees and fell down, unable to take anymore punishment from the demi-god.

After that was over, Hercules went over to his companions.

"You okay?" he asked Falafel.

"I am now," Falafel smiled weakly.

"How about the rest of you?" asked Hercules.

"I'm feeling woozy," admitted Jason, "but I'll be alright."

"Same here," noted Iolaus.

"Let's go back and find Alexander," Hercules helped Jason up.

"Halt in the name of the King!"

Almost on cue, multiple soldiers came out of the forests to surround Hercules and his friends. Soon, Antiochus came out of the clearing.

"Antiochus, what are you doing here?" demanded Hercules.

"Alexander has a very important mission," Antiochus replied gruffly. "I'm here to make sure you don't stop him."

"Alexander didn't give you those orders, did he?" Hercules deduced, realizing Ares was behind the whole thing.

"You're damn right he didn't," Antiochus unsheathed his sword as his soldiers did the same.

"You guys feeling better?" Hercules asked Iolaus and Jason.

"I think I got enough left in me to go another ten to fifteen minutes," Iolaus confessed.

"Five to ten minutes," Jason replied. "Believe it or not, I'm not a young man anymore."

"I hadn't noticed," Iolaus joked.

"Alright, then let's hedge our bets, shall we?" Hercules offered.

oooo

"Your majesty, if you don't mind me asking… where are we going next?" asked Salmoneus.

As the king's scribe, Salmoneus had the privilege of being with Alexander in the very front of his caravan of soldiers. They were now headed down south.

"Our next target will be the Levant," promised Alexander. "It is from there that I shall launch my invasion of Egypt. And once Egypt is out of the way, we can focus all our forces on the heartland of the Persian Empire itself."

"Egypt, huh?" Salmoneus took a bite out of his lunch. "I've always wanted to go back there."

"You've been there before?" asked Alexander.

"As a younger man yes," Salmoneus replied. "You see back then I was hoping I could set myself up for business in Egypt but it never worked out for me."

"What happened?" Alexander motioned for him to continue.

"I tried to set up a business selling headdresses," Salmoneus confessed. "It turned out to be a huge flop!"

"Not to worry Salmoneus," promised Alexander. "When the world's at my feet, you will never encounter such… economic difficulties again."

oooo

Within two minutes, all the men at the disposal of Antiochus were unconscious at his feet due in no small part to Hercules and his friends.

"Now… what did you say you wanted to do?" Hercules put his arm up against the tree that Antiochus was huddling against.

"Yeah, something about stopping us?" Iolaus asked.

"I'll never betray King Alexander!" Antiochus spat. "If that's what you want me to do!"

"Where is he headed?" demanded Jason.

"You think I'll just give this information away?" growled Antiochus. "If you're going to torture me, then do your worst!"

"Torture you?" Hercules raised an eyebrow. "Who said anything about torturing you?"

"Yeah," Iolaus grinned a big goofy smile. "We just want you to smile and have a nice warm meal!"

At once, Jason and Iolaus held on to Antiochus, preventing him from moving as Falafel moved in with an even bigger grin.

"Open wide!" Falafel exclaimed, taking one of his meat wraps and placing it in the mouth of Alexander's general.

Hercules grabbed onto the chin of Antiochus, forcing the general to chew the food and then swallow.

At once, Antiochus fell to both knees as Jason and Iolaus let him go. The old general clutched his stomach, rolling across the forest floor in agony. Finally, he leaned over a rock and heaved the food that he had been forced to eat.

"Make it stop… make it stop…" muttered Antiochus.

After Antiochus was done wiping his mouth, Hercules lifted the man up with his godly strength and pushed him against a tree. Holding Antiochus against the tree with one hand, Hercules took with his other hand a cake Falafel had made.

"Save any room for dessert?" quipped Hercules.

"Alright, alright!" Antiochus squirmed. "I'll tell you!"

"Start talking!" Iolaus ordered.

"Alexander is headed south," confessed Antiochus. "He plans on taking the Levant from the Persians and then Egypt, the breadbasket of the empire!"

"How far does he plan on expanding?" inquired Jason.

"I don't know," Antiochus admitted. "He'll make as big of an empire for himself as he can! And the Persians are the ones standing in his way!"

"Guess we'd better move out," Iolaus said with a grave look of concern.

"Agreed," Hercules nodded, letting go of Antiochus.

"You'll never catch him in time," Antiochus managed to smile weakly.

"Watch us," Hercules replied shortly.

As the four companions moved out, Iolaus stepped over the serpent tail of the chimera that had been cut off. Just as he stepped over the tail, the eyes of the serpent sprung to life as the snake bit Iolaus in the ankle.

"Ow!" Iolaus cried in sharp pain.

"Iolaus!" Hercules yelled.

With his remaining strength, Iolaus grabbed the tail and yanked it off. Without hesitation, he threw it into the bushes. However, the damage had been done…

"I'm feeling a little woozy…" Iolaus fell forward only for Hercules to immediately catch him.

Jason looked down at the legs of Iolaus. On his right leg, there were two punctures, made from the serpentine tail of the chimera. Iolaus had been poisoned.

"This isn't good," Jason noted. "I don't know what we can do about chimera poisonings."

"We need to get Iolaus somewhere safe," Hercules lifted his friend up.

"Now you're really not going to catch up with Alexander," Antiochus gloated. "And let me warn you, if you plan on heading back to Phrygia for a cure, the soldiers have orders to arrest you on the spot!"

Ignoring Antiochus, Hercules hoisted Iolaus over his shoulders and ran east.

"Come on!" Hercules shouted to Jason and Falafel.

oooo

Now miles away from Phrygia, Hercules looked around desperately as the sun began to set for the night.

"Hercules, there's a village up ahead!" Jason pointed out.

"Momny, is it bedtime already" Iolaus perked his head up.

Hercules breathed a brief sigh of relief. At least Iolaus was hallucinating right now and not dead.

"Let's get you cured," Hercules whispered under his breath and headed towards the village.

"I have harpies!" Iolaus cried woozily. "I should always wear protection around those little critters!"

Soon enough, Hercules and his friends entered into the town. It was a small settlement, with no more than two hundred or three hundred people. Around them, the townsfolk gathered around the strangers.

"I've been here before," Hercules noted.

"Hercules, is that you?" a female voice called out.

A beautiful blonde woman, along with her dark-haired husband, came out of the crowd.

"Iole," Hercules nodded. "Long time no see. Nice to see you too, Lycastus."

Years ago, Hercules had met Iole while he was still married to Deianeira. She had required his assistance in saving her town. On their trip, Iole had attempted to seduce Hercules but in the end, his love for Deianeira had been too strong.

"Sorry for showing up on such short notice," Hercules told them, "but my friend needs urgent medical attention."

"I'm a pretty princess!" Iolaus cried out to the surprise of all.

"Let's get him taken care of," Lycastus promised.

oooo

"Good news," Iole walked up to Hercules as he stood outside the room of his recovering friend. "Iolaus will recover within a week's time. We have the medicine to reverse a chimera's poison."

"Thank you Iole," Hercules smiled.

"Why have you journeyed so far out here?" asked Iole.

"My friends and I are on a quest," explained Hercules. "No doubt you've heard of Alexander."

"He passed by our town," replied Iola, "but because we're a small town with no army, he only stayed briefly to appoint a new leader before moving on."

"Alexander wants to conquer the entire world," Hercules told her. "And he's going to start a war that's going to cost countless lives unless we stop him."

"You should be able to do it," Iole told him eagerly. "You've stood up against countless gods and monsters."

"This time Alexander is aided by Ares," confessed Hercules. "It's going to be a tough call going against both of them."

"What will you do after this is over?" asked Iole.

"I'm not sure," confessed Hercules. "I guess return to Greece and do what I normally."

"I heard about what happened to your wife and children," Iole told him. "I'm sorry for your loss."

The loss of Deianeira and their kids was something that always hit Hercules hard. By now, most of Greece and the Greek colonies surrounding the Mediterranean had heard of what Hera did to Hercules and his family.

"It was a difficult time for me," confessed Hercules. "I gave up on helping people and I gave up on myself. But the one person who really helped me through it all was Iolaus. His courage and sacrifice really showed me what it meant to be a hero, even in my darkest hour."

"Hercules…" a weak voice from inside the room stirred.

Immediately, Hercules walked into the room. Iolaus lay there in bed, weak but now stirring.

"Herc, where are we?" asked Iolaus.

"You're in a safe place, Iolaus," Hercules told his friend. "You'll get better."

"Oh man, I don't know how many more gods or monsters I can go up against," wheezed Iolaus. "The after effects can be lethal!"

"You won't be dying on me yet Iolaus," Hercules told him. "Now get some rest, old friend."

As Hercules patted Iolaus on the shoulder, a young boy rushed into the room.

"Mommy, mommy!" the boy cried. "Is that Hercules?"

"Who's this?" smiled Hercules.

Iole took the young child in her arms.

"His name is Hercules," she replied. "Lycastus and I named him after you."

"Did mommy really name me after you," the boy asked.

"She did," Hercules patted the boy on the head. "And when you're old enough, maybe you'll have your own legendary journeys."

Iole gave him a stern look.

"But until then," Hercules said to the boy, "You'll be right at home with a mom who loves you."

oooo

_One week later…_

"Damn it all!" Alexander fumed, standing before the city of Tyre. "Why has this town not yet capitulated?"

"Well your majesty," Salmoneus told Alexander while busily scribbling down words on his scroll, "maybe they just need an opportunity to see how generous you can be."

"That's the problem Salmoneus!" cursed Alexander. "I've done everything I can to show these people mercy… to show them generosity! Yet they still defy me!"

Ares appeared right next to Alexander.

"Well Alex," the god of war smiled, "sometimes you just have to take the kid gloves off."

"Lord Ares," bowed Alexander.

"You've given these people very generous terms of surrender," Ares told his prodigy, "but still they spit in your face."

"Perhaps I should offer more terms?" asked the war-weary Alexander.

"What?" laughed Ares. "And make yourself look like a pushover?"

Alexander only stood there in silent frustration.

"Let me ask you something," Ares turned serious. "How many men have you lost trying to take this city?"

"Some of my best men…" answered Alexander, not daring to give an actual number.

As they spoke, several Tyrian soldiers appeared on the towers before them.

"People of Tyre!" Alexander turned around. "I've offered you a chance before and the offer still stands! Surrender and you will be treated graciously!"

In response, one of the Tyrian archers arched his bow back and fired an arrow at Alexander.

Fortunately for Alexander, Ares was there as his benefactor. However, Ares himself still had an agenda of his own. Using his godly telekinesis, Ares twisted the arrow in mid-air slightly so that it would not strike Alexander in the chest as originally intended. On the other hand though, Ares still did not intend for Alexander to be fully unscathed by the attack.

The arrow sailed through the air, grazing Alexander across the face and drawing blood. In shock, the young man fell to one knee, grasping his face.

"Those… savages," muttered Alexander as Ares smiled in the background sinisterly.

"Your majesty?" Salmoneus kneeled down to try and help the king.

At once Alexander got up, fresh with anger and fury at having been mocked and injured in such a manner.

"Men!" he shouted. "We destroy this town and everyone in it! Leave nothing alive!"

In shock, Salmoneus could only reel back as Alexander ordered his army towards the city.

"Shall I?" Ares offered.

"Do it!" Alexander growled.

Summoning a massive fireball in his hands, Ares fired the large projectile of flames and destroyed the city's walls in one blast. Soon after, fresh troops rushed in and began slaughtering anyone and anything they could get their hands on.

"Kill them!" screamed Alexander. "Kill them all!"

**A/N**: Iole and Lycastus were characters from the TV movie, Hercules in the Underworld. Just thought it would be neat to use some pre-Legendary Journeys characters for the series.


	7. Chapter 7

**Destined for Greatness**

_Chapter 7_

"Iolaus, you feeling better?" asked Hercules.

Hercules, Iolaus, Jason, and Falafel were now on a ship bound for the Levant. A week had passed by before Iolaus could finally recover from the chimera's poison.

"Never better," beamed Iolaus. "You know I have a tendency to bounce back on my feet whenever I get knocked down."

"That I do," agreed Herc.

On the side of the ship, a seasick Falafel was hurling into the waters below.

"Well, at least now Falafel shares our pain," Hercules noted.

"Yeah, now he knows what it's like to have his stomach be on the receiving end," joked Iolaus.

"Land ho!" shouted Jason.

"Is this the place?" asked Hercules.

Turning around, Hercules was shocked to see an entire port city in complete desolation.

"This… was the place," Jason answered quietly.

"What happened?" Falafel asked fearfully.

"I have an idea," Hercules frowned.

As soon as the ship landed, Hercules stepped out along with Iolaus and Jason. Being a bit more frightened, Falafel opted to stay aboard the ship.

The city of Tyre had been besieged. The walls were destroyed and most of the buildings in addition. Bodies littered the streets everywhere. What had once been civilization had been reduced to rubble.

"This is terrible," Iolaus looked around sadly.

"Do you suppose he did this?" Jason asked Hercules. "Did Alexander really do this?"

"I don't know," Hercules replied. "But if he did, then he's going to regret it."

As the three men journeyed further into the city, the aftermath of the carnage began to unfold more and more. Alexander's men had completely razed and destroyed everything in sight.

"This is unbearable to watch," Hercules shook his head.

Soon, the trio neared what was once the marketplace. From their position, they heard the feint sound of a man's sobbing.

"Survivors," Hercules rushed forward.

As soon as he neared the sound of the sobbing, Hercules saw a familiar figure sitting on the steps near the marketplace with his head buried into both arms. It was a survivor alright, but he was not a citizen of Tyre.

"Salmoneus!" Hercules gasped.

"What's he doing here?" Iolaus questioned.

"Salmoneus?" Hercules knelt down before the eclectic businessman.

"H-Hercules?" Salmoneus looked up.

"What happened?" demanded Hercules. "Did Alexander do all of this?"

"It was horrible," Salmoneus stuttered. "He killed everyone… men… women… children…"

"Who?" asked Hercules.

"Alexander," Salmoneus broke down again. "He killed them all without mercy… and all I could do was stand there because I was so weak I couldn't stand up for what was right…"

Only once in the past had Hercules seen Salmoneus like this, when he was frozen with fear at the prospect of being crushed underneath a landslide. The once happy and jovial face of Salmoneus was gone. All that remained was a broken and emotionally scarred man.

"You'll be alright Salmoneus," Hercules helped his friend up. "We'll get you help."

"No it's not alright," Salmoneus whispered. "I couldn't even say anything when Alexander destroyed this city. All I could do afterwards was hide in shame."

"Salmoneus, I need to know," Hercules looked at the travelling salesman. "Where is Alexander going next?"

"He's going to Egypt," Salmoneus confessed. "After that, the rest of Persia's empire…"

"We need to move," Hercules told Iolaus.

"Wait!" Salmoneus cried.

"What is it?" asked Hercules.

"I'm coming with you," Salmoneus told Hercules.

Salmoneus straightened his robes before looking back at the group.

"You?" demanded Iolaus. "What are you going to do? Make Alexander see the error of his ways?"

"I can help you—" insisted Salmoneus.

"Do what?" Iolaus shook his head. "In case you haven't noticed, you're not a fighter. We have enough dead weight with Falafel! We don't need any more!"

After hearing that, Salmoneus turned around once more. Now the tears were threatening to come back to his eyes.

Iolaus too realized he had gone too far.

"Look Salmoneus," Iolaus finally calmed down, "I'm sorry about what I said. I didn't mean—"

"No, you have every right to doubt me," Salmoneus confessed. "I can't fight. I can't run a business. I can't do anything right."

Finally, Salmoneus turned around with tears streaming down his face.

"I'm a miserable failure," declared Salmoneus. "But I have a conscience. And I could never live with myself for the rest of my life if I didn't stand up to Alexander over what he's done."

"Alright Salmoneus," Hercules said softly. "You can come with us."

"Thanks Herc," Salmoneus replied.

"Salmoneus, I'm sorry about what I said," Iolaus told him. "We've all just been on edge lately."

"Don't worry about it Iolaus," Salmoneus replied softly. "I don't blame you. After all, I did sign up eagerly for Alexander's campaign, thinking it would get me rich. But some money… just isn't worth it."

"Let's get you back on the ship Salmoneus," Hercules told the traveling salesman. "You look like you haven't eaten for days."

"Well, I did try living off some moldy bread for a while," confessed Salmoneus. "It had a nice texture but that didn't do any wonders for my stomach."

oooo

"I can hardly believe my good fortune," Alexander smiled as he and his general Ptolemy marched down the final city they had conquered in Egypt. "Instead of putting up a fight, the Egyptians welcome us as liberators."

"I believe Persian rule has been quite onerous for them," General Ptolemy replied.

"They need fear not the Persians anymore," Alexander smiled, "for I will defend this land from its previous oppressors."

The once-shy prince had now transformed into a confident, if ruthless, warrior king. The fact that he was also a favorite of Ares had also helped to transition him into the mighty position he was in now.

As the two men continued in their chariot, they noticed a frail robed figure stumble in front of the procession.

"Halt," Alexander ordered his men.

"Forgive me," the robed figure got up, dusting himself off.

"Who might you be?" asked Alexander.

The man took off his hood to reveal a sickly bald man with a pale face and teeth that almost appeared as sharp as fangs.

"My name is Ahriman," the figure explained. "I was a prisoner of the Persians before your men freed me."

"I see," Alexander replied. "It is good that you're free now, for your Persian slave masters have been banished from this land."

"You must be Alexander," Ahriman smiled, revealing his jagged and cavity-filled teeth. "I had heard so much about you."

"Such as?" Alexander raised an eyebrow.

"I heard that you would be the one to conquer all of Greece," Ahriman told the young man.

"Really now?"

"Also, you would unify Upper and Lower Egypt and conquer the world," Ahriman promised. "After you attain the Eye of Horus, that is."

"The Eye of Horus?" Alexander's curiosity was piqued. "What is that?"

"During a war between the Egyptian gods Horus and Set, Horus lost his eye in battle," explained Ahriman. "It is said to be in the Valley of the Kings. He who gains the Eye of Horus will gain the powers of a god."

"You are a wise man indeed Ahriman," Alexander smiled. "Perhaps you would like to join me as my advisor."

"I would indeed be honored," Ahriman bowed deeply.

"Sir, is that a wise idea?" asked Ptolemy. "We hardly know this man."

"My mind is decided," Alexander said resolutely. "And you are no longer to question it."

Ptolemy sighed. "Yes my king…"

oooo

At the Valley of the Kings, the first thing Alexander did was set his men to work on retrieving the legendary Eye of Horus.

While Alexander watched his men under the shade, the god of war appeared next to him.

"Interesting little shin-dig you got here," noted Ares.

"Greetings Lord Ares," bowed Alexander.

"What are you even doing out here?" Ares asked. "You're behind schedule. I expect the Persian Empire itself to be conquered soon."

"Forgive me Lord Ares," apologized Alexander. "But I am an admirer of this land and its antiquities. Please grant me some time to excavate the treasures of the Pharaohs for my art collection."

"Hmm, I suppose you've earned that much," Ares finally agreed. "Tell you what… you've got three days to go treasure hunting. Then you march out again."

"Thank you," Alexander replied graciously.

"Three days," Ares reiterated and then disappeared in a puff of smoke.

"This doesn't feel right," Alexander whispered. "Lying to my own patron god about my intentions…"

"Do not worry," Ahriman walked up to the young king. "Once he sees that what you are doing is for the glory of conquest, he will understand and appreciate your efforts."

"I hope you're right, Ahriman," Alexander sighed.

oooo

In the small Egyptian town Alexander had conquered, Ptolemy sat in his luxurious chair atop the palace, eating grapes as he read from his scroll. The town had now been redubbed as the city of Alexandria and it was in the king's wishes that the town would eventually become a true city.

He was grateful for the chance to become the governor of Egypt in Alexander's stead. After all, the young warrior king still needed to conquer the rest of the known world.

Stretching his arms out, Ptolemy decided to take a nap for the afternoon.

Ptolemy, however, was not alone that day.

From the ceiling, Autolycus supported himself between two beams, watching methodically as Ptolemy's eyes closed up.

As soon as he heard snoring, Autolycus decided that it was time to take action.

Lowering himself down by his rope, Autolycus slowly went down. His objective was the shining emerald necklace Ptolemy was wearing.

"Sweet mother of Artemis, I'm coming home…" whispered Autolycus as he reached for the precious gems around Ptolemy's neck.

Without warning, shouting and the sound of fighting was heard down the halls.

"Not now!" Autolycus' eyes widened.

Finally, the door swung open as Hercules kicked one of Ptolemy's guards through.

Ptolemy himself woke up immediately in shock, bumping heads with Autolycus.

"Ow!" cried Autolycus and Ptolemy both at once.

"Autolycus?!" Iolaus grimaced.

"Oh no, it's Hercules!" Ptolemy began backing away.

"Where is he?" demanded Hercules. "Where is Alexander?"

"He's not here!" Ptolemy insisted. "You won't find him here at all!"

"Hello guys," Autolycus eyed Hercules and Iolaus warily. "What brings you out here?"

"I could ask the same for you," Iolaus glared at the King of Thieves.

"Just… enjoying the sights and sounds of Egypt," Autolycus lied. "Say, have you ever been on a romantic cruise down the Nile?"

"Cut the crap, Autolycus," Iolaus glared at the darker haired man. "We know you're here to plunder Egypt's tombs."

"I would've visited those tombs eventually… as a tourist," Autolycus waved both hands in the air.

Hercules ignored Autolycus and backed Ptolemy against the wall. Grabbing Ptolemy by the shirt, Hercules lifted the governor up.

"Last chance," Hercules warned. "Tell me where Alexander is."

Ptolemy was a man of great power but even he knew that his chances against a demi-god were almost slim to none.

"He… he's in the Valley of the Kings!" Ptolemy finally confessed.

Satisfied, Hercules dropped Ptolemy.

"Alright Iolaus," Hercules motioned for his partner. "Let's go."

"Hey wait a second!" Autolycus followed Hercules and Iolaus. "Aren't you even going to say hi?"

"Now's not the time Autolycus," Hercules said dismissively.

"What's gotten into him?" asked Autolycus.

"Listen we're kind of busy right now," Iolaus told Autolycus. "See, we're trying to stop Alexander from conquering the world and massacring more innocent people so why don't you just run off and rob a bank or something."

"Hold on a second," protested Autolycus. "You make it sound as if I don't care about people!"

"That's the problem," Iolaus told him. "You don't. Your priority in life is looking out for number one!"

"I'll have you know that's not true!" Autolycus insisted. "I want to help you guys out."

Hercules and Iolaus stepped out of the palace where Jason, Salmoneus, and Falafel were standing. The bodies of dozens of guards lay unconscious at their feet as Hercules and Iolaus turned around to face Autolycus.

"You?" Iolaus sneered. "Help us? What's in it for you?"

"You said Alexander was trying to conquer the world," the voice of Autolycus turned serious. "What did he do?"

"Tyre," Hercules explained. "Every single man, woman, and child was slaughtered without mercy. Salmoneus saw first-hand how awful it was."

"He has to be stopped," Salmoneus nodded.

"Hey Sal," Autolycus gave the travelling salesman a brief wave of acknowledgement.

"We have to put an end to what Alexander is doing," Hercules told Autolycus. "Too many lives are at stake."

"I'll come with you," Autolycus told the group.

"What?" Iolaus looked incredulous. "Oh boy, here we go again."

"Look, I know I originally came down to Egypt for… financial reasons," Autolycus told them. "But if Alexander really is doing all of this, then we can't let him get away with this!"

"Are you saying this because you really do want to stop him?" demanded Iolaus. "Or are you just using us to get to the Valley of the Kings for the treasures there?"

"Always an ulterior motive with Autolycus," Hercules nodded.

"C'mon guys," Autolycus smiled. "I mean it this time. Besides, you might need me."

"You know, Autolycus can at least defend himself," Iolaus said to Hercules. "We won't have to worry about him as much. Besides, we know he's not the kind of guy who would sell us out."

"Look," Hercules glanced at Autolycus. "Follow us if you want. Just… try not to cause more trouble than we need."

"You can count on me!" promised Autolycus.

oooo

"Are we almost done?" asked Alexander.

"Almost sire," one of the construction workers told him. "A few feet away and we should discover the chest where the Eye of Horus should be stored in."

"Your majesty," Ahriman hurried up to Alexander. "You have trouble coming."

"What?" demanded Alexander.

"Hercules and his friends are here," Ahriman reported. "He appears to be very angry."

"Let Hercules through!" Alexander shouted at his soldiers who immediately parted.

"Alexander!" Hercules shouted.

"Hercules, what brings you here?" asked Alexander.

"You know what you've done," Hercules pointed a finger at the young king. "Thousands of people dead and massacred by your command…"

For the first time in his life, Alexander began to feel extremely defensive against his childhood hero. He did not know what it was but he did not like having his authority undermined by anyone, not even Hercules.

"I gave them every chance to surrender!" Alexander shouted back. "They chose to defy me to their last breath so I did what had to be done!"

Without fully realizing it, the two men began circling each other as the accusations flew back and forth.

"He does not want you to fulfill your destiny," Ahriman said to Alexander.

"How can you live with yourself after taking all those lives?" demanded Hercules.

"And why are you always undermining my authority?" Alexander responded angrily. "I'm destined for great things and you can't seem to accept that!"

"There are better ways to achieve _great things_ than killing people who don't want to bend to your will!" Hercules shot back.

"He's right," Salmoneus finally spoke up. "What you did in Tyre was inexcusable."

"Salmoneus, I see you've turned against me," Alexander frowned. "I was wondering where you disappeared to after the siege of Tyre was over."

"Hercules is jealous of your potential," Ahriman spoke softly.

"I understand now," Alexander looked at Hercules with what he believed was clarity. "You're afraid that my accomplishments will surpass yours! You don't want me becoming an even bigger legend than you!"

"Are you listening to yourself speak?" demanded Hercules. "Human lives are at stake here… not fame and glory!"

"I will become greater than you, Hercules!" Alexander declared. "I will be Alexander the Conqueror… Alexander the Warrior King… Alexander… the Great!"

With that, Alexander unsheathed the sword from one of his soldiers.

"There's only one way to settle this Hercules," Alexander told the demi-god. "A duel will settle this matter once and for all."

"Are you crazy?" demanded Hercules.

"No, I've suddenly grown out of my hero worship for you," Alexander replied.

With that, Alexander charged at Hercules. He swung his sword at the son of Zeus only for Hercules to duck to the side. Alexander swung again only for Hercules to dodge towards the other side.

Raising his sword up, Alexander brought it down. Hercules, however, caught the sword with both palms of his hands. He then raised his right knee, knocking the sword into the air. With a swift kick, Hercules knocked Alexander over.

As the sword fell, Hercules caught it. Angrily, Alexander got up again and took the sword of another one of his soldiers.

Alexander attacked once more, stabbing at his former idol. Hercules step-sided it and elbowed Alexander in the back to send him stumbling forward. As Hercules closed in, Alexander lashed his foot out and kicked Hercules in the stomach. With that, he swung around and punched Hercules across the face, forcing the demi-god on the defensive this time.

Both swung their swords again. As their swords clashed, Alexander quickly drew a second sword from the scabbard on his belt. He slammed the butt of the second sword into the face of Hercules. Then he kicked Hercules in the stomach to knock him to the desert floor.

"Now it ends!" Alexander flipped both swords around and swung down.

At once, Hercules raised his own sword and blocked both blades. With a quick burst of power, he pushed Alexander off of him and then leaped back on both two feet.

Alexander came in again, swinging with both swords. This time, Hercules blocked one blade and then grabbed Alexander's wrist with his free hand. Angrily, the two men struggled against each other momentarily.

What would ultimate determine the battle, however, was the superhuman strength of Hercules. The demi-god squeezed down on Alexander's wrist, forcing the young man to drop one of his swords. Pushing Alexander's other sword away with his own blade, Hercules came down, headbutting the warrior king in the face, drawing blood.

At once, Alexander's head snapped back as the young man fell down.

Alexander got up again and raised his sword. Hercules, however, moved in quickly, striking Alexander across the chest, stomach, and head with a series of powerful jabs and punches, completely wearing down the young man in just a few moments.

Finally, Alexander dropped his sword, falling down on one knee.

"This isn't possible," huffed Alexander. "I'm destined for great things… I can't lose!"

"Call off your men," Hercules told the young king. "I'm giving you one final chance to walk away from this all."

"N-Never!" Alexander shouted maniacally and charged once again.

This time Hercules swung with his fist and connected with Alexander's body armor, breaking through it and shattering Alexander's ribs.

"Urk…" Alexander began coughing up blood.

A few feet away from the fighting, Ahriman walked towards one of the Egyptian pyramids, placing his hands on the door and chanting. Soon, his efforts paid off as the ground began rumbling and the doors of the pyramid began to open.

"This ends now, Alexander," promised Hercules. "You and your men aren't going one step further."

Before Alexander could even formulate a response, the ground beneath them began shaking as bony hands emerged from the ground.

"Um, what's going on here?" asked Iolaus.

"I don't know," Autolycus steadied himself, holding on to both Jason and Iolaus. "But I got a feeling we're in over our heads."

Slowly, several undead mummy warriors emerged from the ground as Alexander's soldiers began backing away.

"Get our king to safety!" several of Alexander's soldiers grabbed Alexander and began whisking him to safety.

"What's going on here?" demanded Hercules.

To the side, he noticed Ahriman standing there and smiling under his robes.

"Fools! How dare you infringe on the valley of the gods!" a thunderous voice boomed.

On top of an obelisk stood a creature with the head of a jackal and the body of a man. It was dressed in the same Egyptian regalia as the pharaohs of the land.

Soon, the eyes of all the undead mummies in the area glowed red.

"And you are?" asked Hercules.

"I am Anubis!" the jackal-headed god replied. "And none of you will leave here alive!"


End file.
